


A Partner

by Lanthano



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-06-07 08:59:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 76,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6797590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lanthano/pseuds/Lanthano
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After that first false start, what would it take to convince Nick he belongs on the police force? There are many reasons it's not a good idea, and changing your whole life around just for the sake of working with a new friend can seem like a big risk. Takes place after the confrontation at the museum, but before Nick goes off to the academy.<br/>How did he get there?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nick

**Author's Note:**

> Today is my 30th birthday, and my first surprise/present of the day was my invitation to join this site!  
> I hadn't written anything since highschool, but after seeing Zootopia, I couldn't get this out of my head. I wrote this, and the outline of several other chapters, all at once a night ago, when I should have been working hard on my thesis. Hope it's worth it. ^_^

"Patient Hopps, please follow the yellow dots to urgent care, patient Hopps, please follow the yellow dots."  
Nick is pulled out of his daydreaming as Judy shifts beside him in her wheelchair.  
"That's us." She chirps, and he almost corrects her, _no that's you_ , but he doesn't seem to have the energy at the moment. "I can't believe how fast that was." She beams at him as he stands and glances around at the packed waiting room. He's feeling like he's one giant bruise. He swears he can hear his joints creaking, and wonders if she hears it too.  
"Cops get preferential treatment. " He explains, and her smile falters, as she tries to read on his face if that's a good thing. He forces a smile and shrug for her, "Makes sense, you did, after all, incur these injuries protecting our fair city from a terrible plot."  
Her smile grows again, reassured that his comment wasn't an indictment of their health care system. 

A middle-aged pig in navy scrubs greets them from behind a desk at the end of the yellow dots with an uninterested: "Hopps?"  
Before Judy can confirm her identity the pig is supplying instructions to go into room 6.  
"Excuse me," Judy adds as the pig finishes, before she can turn away, "my friend here is also a patient, is it okay if he stays with me?"  
"Oh, that's okay Judy, I'll just roll you in, and I'll head back to the waiting room to wait my turn. I don't even really think I need to be seen." He wants to be sure Judy is alright, but he'd also really like a chance to be alone and gather his thoughts.  
But both women are ignoring him as he stands helplessly behind Judy's chair, Judy adding, "He was injured with me, he's basically a cop t-" Nick's ears burn, now he really hopes the pig says no. But before Judy can even finish her sentence, navy scrubs is waving her quiet, uninterested in why Judy wants him with her, "What's his name? I'll see if he' s heading to the same area."  
"Nicholas Wilde," Judy volunteers happily, pleased it seems she'll get her way.  
The pig glances at the computer to her left momentarily and turns back to them with a shrug, "Don't see why not."  
Judy emits a pleased hum, and looks up at Nick, "Come on chauffeur."  
He rolls her down the hall, turning into a room she points to, having not retained the pig's instructions. 

"I need to keep you with me, otherwise I have a feeling you won't have those ribs checked out, despite what the paramedics advised." Judy fidgets in her chair, and he knows she's right.  
She seems to still be running on the adrenaline high that helped them get through their confrontation with Bellwether. He doesn't know how that's possible, as his had lasted only long enough to hand her off to the paramedics waiting by the ambulance at the museum. It was as if her tiny body had been generating the strength and energy that had allowed him to hold her up all through the arrest, and the excited explanations to chief Bogo, and the climb out of the display pit, and the walk to the ambulance, and as soon as he lost contact with her skin, the circuit was broken, and he was left running on fumes.  
"You know, they always exaggerate. Paramedics that is. I doubt there's anything wrong with me." But he knows she's seen the way he winces when he forgets to only take shallow breaths.  
"You don't like hospitals, do you Nick?"  
"What? No I love them! I love the weird smells, and the backdrop mammal of misery, the endless waiting and the interminable beeping of a thousand machines. It's all top notch." He knows he needs to be chattier if he's going to convince her he's okay. It's starting to get easier. Maybe he isn't one giant bruise, just a fox made up largely of bruises.  
She bends forward in her chair to look at her right leg. "I wonder if I'll have a scar." She doesn't sound displeased with the prospect, and he isn't surprised.  
"We can only hope." She chuckles at that, and he's grateful she dragged him in here. He does want to wait with her after all.  
Silence lapses, comfortable to his mind, but she almost immediately begins drumming her paws on the arms of her wheelchair in a strange staccato.  
"God you are wired. I don't know how you have so much energy. I'm beat. Is this a bunny thing? Do you all have everlasting batteries?"  
"Maybe," she shrugs, then frowns as she reflects further on the question, "I guess, since I got home, I've mostly been sleeping in and feeling sorry for myself. I've had no energy. But this morning, when I realized I had a new lead, I finally felt awake again. And I still feel so awake. I've gotten more than enough sleep lately, I don't think I'll be wanting sleep again anytime soon."  
He snorts at that, "I don't think I'll want to be awake for much longer."  
"Have you considered that maybe I don't have an excess of energy, you just have a deficit. You do live a more sedentary lifestyle."  
Nick gives her an offended look. "Sedentary?! You really think what I do for a living can be classified as sedentary? No, I don't lack energy, you just have too much. That was obvious the first moment I met you. And I know why, it's because you're young. You're annoyingly young, so your body recovers from life or death events with no effort. Less life to flash before your eyes, less regrets, and those are exhausting." He eyes her like she's being smug about her youth, though she's been silent on the subject, "But just you wait Darling, soon you'll be like me, all tired and run down." And he slumps exaggeratedly, getting a giggle out of her this time.  
"You aren't old Nick." At this he gives her a deadpan stare. "What? You aren't," she protests.  
"Carrots, I've got a good decade on you."  
"You don't know how old I am." She ventures mischievously.  
"Carrots, I know how old you are."  
"No you don't."  
"Trust me, I do."  
"Not exactly, I mean yes, I'll grant that only one of us has hit 30, but you can't know exactly. I could just look young."  
"You are fresh out of the academy Carrots, and while I may not have your gift for multiplying, I can certainly do simple addition."  
"Hah, see, joke's on you, because I actually didn't get in right out-"  
"-Also, I stole your wallet back when you first 'recruited' me." Her mouth hangs open in shock. "I know exactly how old you are, to the day. And your home address. And your height and weight. Figured I should learn more about my blackmailer."  
She gapes at him a moment longer, then shakes her head in disbelief, "You did not! I've had my wallet this whole time. I've used it! I used it when we got here!"  
"Well I put it back obviously. I didn't want you knowing I knew your deepest secrets. Who knows what I would do with the dangerous knowledge that you were a spring baby."  
She narrows her eyes at him, unsure, "Did you really take my wallet?"  
"I did. As we were waiting at the DMV. Flash is a really great distraction. I even took 15 bucks out of it, to pay for the next jumbo-pop. It was my petty revenge, carried out preemptively. To make you an accessory to nothing terribly illegal."  
"Stealing from a cop, that was awfully brave of you."  
"Nah, it would only be brave if there was a chance I'd be caught, and there wasn't. You are not very alert when it comes to your pockets. Honestly you should work on that. I'm not even a particularly good pickpocket."  
"Did you use it?"  
"Use what?"  
"The 15 bucks." She's trying to keep her voice light, and joking, but she's eyeing him, waiting for his response. Did he fall back into his old ways in her absence?  
Obviously he had, though he'd found himself reluctant, finding excuses to stay out of commission for 3 days after the press conference. On the fourth day, Finnick had tracked him down and demanded to know if he needed to find a new partner. In the absence of a better answer, Nick went back to work. But just as he'd found himself unable to explain adequately to Finnick why the Pawpsicle game no longer appealed, he found himself unable to explain to Judy why that hadn't been enough to stop. Sometimes it was best to live an unexamined life.  
"Yeah, I bought myself some yoga classes down at the Mystic Springs Oasis. It taught me to let go of my clothes and my anger." Better to tell an obvious lie than a believable one. A second later he realizes his joke has hit a bit too close to home for her. He shouldn't have mentioned anger.  
She smiles regretfully at him, and he isn't sure if she regrets her question, or her past actions.  
"It's how I managed to stop being mad at you. That took much meditation. Whole minutes were spent on it." He is teasing, trying to reassure her, but he sees her swallow nervously. Their fight at the press conference still weighs on her. Wasn't the hug enough? Doesn't she understand he doesn't hold it against her? She wasn't the first to disappoint him, but she was the first to care that she had. That mattered far more.  
"Yeah?"  
"Yeah Carrots. I wasn't mad even an hour later." He gives her a gentle smile, hoping she'll take it to heart.  
"Really?"  
'Well maybe more than an hour. But it's all water under the bridge." He wiggles his eyebrows at her, clearly referring to her water works this afternoon. "You know it’s a shame we had to turn in that pen. I didn't even get to enjoy my 48 hours before erasing it." She smiles big then, reminded of their take down of Bellwether. He grins himself as he remembers her smug enthusiasm. "It's called a hustle sweetheart. Boom!" He'd really been proud of them in that moment.  
"Hey Nick?"  
"Yeah Carrots?"  
"Do you live under that bridge?" The question takes him completely by surprise, and he's proud that he keeps it off his face.  
"Wondering where to send your thank you notes? If you're desperate to know where I live, you can steal my ID like a normal person."  
But she doesn't reply, just stares at him with her big wet eyes, and she doesn't need to steal shit, because, _she knows_. Damnit Finnick.  
Luckily there's a knock on the door, and the doctor, a squat hedgehog sweeps into the room, eyeing both of them appraisingly.  
"She's first doc," Nick says, jumping out of his chair and heading for the door, "I'll be outside."  
Judy tries to catch his eye before he leaves, likely wanting company, but he isn't about to pass up a perfectly good opportunity for escape. 

He doesn't stop outside the door to wait, instead he finds himself pacing in the main waiting room, contemplating leaving the hospital altogether. He's had a long day, a good day, but an unsettling one as well. As much as he had missed his bunny, he isn't sure he's ready to give up so much of his precious privacy.  
While he's pacing back and forth, trying to convince himself a good friend _would_ leave, Chief Bogo walks in. Before he can think better of it, acting on instinct alone, Nick quickly ducks in to the bathroom to his right. He exits a minute later sheepishly, and heads Bogo off before he reaches the front desk.  
"Hello Chief Bogo"  
Bogo, deep in thought, looks confused for a moment before his eyes focus on Nick.  
"I'm here to see Officer Hopps." He apparently doesn't feel the need to return the greeting.  
"God I would have guessed you were here for a dinner date, good thing you clarified." Where did this need to mock anyone in a police uniform come from? Certainly not a place of wisdom. When Bogo doesn't react, Nick forges on awkwardly, "Uhh, Yeah, she's right down here."  
Nick leads Bogo to the room where he left Judy. As they approach the room, the doctor comes out, and glances around for Nick. "I'm done with her for now, do you need to be seen as well?"  
Nick starts to shake his head but then Judy is rolling out into the hall with her bandaged leg, and she's saying yes for him, and ushering the doctor and Nick back into the exam room, before turning to speak with Bogo. Nick accepts his fate. He missed his chance at escape. 

He emerges into the hall a little while later, with a diagnosis of three sprained ribs and a mild concussion, to find Bogo and Judy deep in discussion. Judy lights up when she sees him, and waves him over.  
"Chief Bogo wanted to set up an appointment to debrief you about today's events."  
Nick nods mutely, not finding the idea of sitting in an interrogation room, as a witness or suspect, particularly appealing.  
Judy seems to have foreseen that. "I was telling him that you won't be available until the day after tomorrow. You'll need time to rest and recover. I assume the doctor told you as much." She widens her eyes at him ever so slightly, and he takes the cue. "Yes, at least two days. I really shouldn't be up right now."  
"Good then," she smiles, "we'll both go in for interviews the day after tomorrow."  
Bogo frowns, "Officer Hopps, it is important that I get your report filed as soon as possible. There is no need to wait for the civilian to be ready. I understand you might need to take the rest of the day off to recuperate, but I expect you at the precinct tomorrow morning."  
"I have to drive all the way home to Bunnyburrow tonight sir."  
Bogo looks surprised.  
"I gave up my apartment when I resigned."  
Bogo blinks, perhaps having forgotten Judy had resigned, and was no longer his employee. "The department will pay to put you up nearby."  
_Lucky_ , thinks Nick, wishing he could wrangle his own hotel stay.  
"No sir, I have to go home tonight. I drove straight in with my father's truck, and he'll need it."  
Bogo sighs but relents, "Fine, I'll see you the day after tomorrow. But," he prods Nick with his hoof while keeping eye contact with Judy, "don't think you'll be sitting in on his interview." He turns to leave, pausing in the doorway, still looking only at Judy, "And good work you two." Nick supposes he should be happy he said 'you two'. He has been acknowledged. Hooray. 

"Let’s get out of here before the press show up." Judy is herding him towards the exit, and he notices for the first time that someone brought her crutches while he was in with the doctor. As she hobbles towards the exit, something dawns on him.  
"Can you really drive with your leg like that?"  
"Nope"  
"But you just told Bogo you had to return your dad's truck today."  
"I did."  
She gives him her biggest grin, and he rolls his eyes.  
"I don't know what you think is going to happen here, but I can tell you, I'm not-"  
"The good news is you already know the address."  
He glares at her, but they both know there's nothing behind it. Truthfully, he is intrigued by the idea of getting out of town for a bit.  
"You just assume…"  
"I do. Oh come on, you know you have nothing better to do, and there will be all the blueberries you can eat, and I'm sure any minute now the press will be wanting interviews. We know how well I handle the media, and while you are infinitely smoother than I, we both know you don't want that kind of attention." His continued impassive look, which hides his amusement, and the fact that he's already decided to go, seems to get to her. "Come on, please Nick! I really do need to go home, and you are the only one I can ask." She makes her eyes big and pleading, and he laughs at her.  
"Okay look, you can't try both at once!"  
She frowns in confusion.  
"You can either do the arrogant, let's-not-pretend-you-aren't-going-to-do-exactly-as-I-say, really-I'm-doing-you-the-favor-by-letting-you-help-me shtick, which you were almost pulling off by the way. Or, you can look small and pathetic and needy, and tug at heart strings till you get what you want. But you can't do both, because they tend to undermine one another. "  
"Is that so?"  
"Yeah, generally."  
"And yet it's working for me, cause you are driving me home. Boom!"  
"See now you've switched tactics again, and you've lost me."  
"Oh get in the taxi," she grouses as they approach one of the taxis pulled up outside the emergency department, and he gets in happily.  
"I'm just saying we need to work on your persuasion skills. You can't flip flop like that."  
She ignores him to address the driver, "Hi, sorry, could you please take us to…" she trails off quietly, and when Nick realizes why he starts laughing loudly, to the obvious puzzlement of the driver. Judy turns to Nick, eyes widening and hisses, "Carp, Nick, where'd we leave the truck?"


	2. Judy

"Thanks again for driving me home Nick." She's got the passenger seat tilted pretty far back, and is enjoying the view out her window as he drives them along the highway heading west. They are far outside the city now, Zootopia having faded in the rear view mirror a while ago. The pain is starting to return in her leg, she'll have to think about taking more painkillers soon.  
"You didn't really give me much of a choice." His sunglasses shield his eyes from the setting sun, but she can see them from her position beside him.  
"Oh come on, you were glad to get out of seeing Bogo today, and you've secretly been dying to see Bunnyburrow since you first heard it mentioned."  
"Well I'll grant you the first one."  
"And the second one."  
"And the second one. It will be interesting to see where the great Judy Hopps, Hero of Zootopia and all Mammalkind, began life."  
"Not only will you see where I grew up, but also meet the mammals who gave me life: my parents. And my 300 some siblings."  
"300? God you weren't kidding about the multiplying. Though I will admit, I'm not exactly excited about meeting your parents."  
"Why not?" Judy asks, surprised, "My parents are great."  
"You told me your Dad was the one who insisted you carry the Fox repellent." Judy regrets that little slip.  
"Oh, right. Well, sure, they used to be quite concerned about predators, foxes in particular for some reason," Judy thinks about the scars hidden under the fur on her cheek, "but they've changed. They opened their minds recently, and now one of their business partners is a fox. Gideon; he makes blueberry pies."  
"I guess that reassures me," he glances at her from the driver's seat, "The fact that there will be blueberry pie, not about your parents."  
"Funny. I'm sure they'll love you. You saved my life Nick." She gives him an earnest smile, because the truth is, while its possible her parents may have some lingering fears about foxes, she knows they'll love Nick. He's already one of her dearest friends, and they've always been welcoming of her friends.  
Nick looks uncomfortable with her sincerity. "Not more than you've saved mine."  
She grins, wanting to put him at ease again, "Well I am quite the hero. We can't expect you to keep up, as far as life-saving goes."  
"Wow Carrots, I was going to say, 'who's counting?', but it seems you are." He smiles again as he focuses on the road ahead. She's able to consider him while he's looking ahead, and she's struck by how relaxed and open he seems. This is the real Nick, she thinks as she stares at him fondly, watching the way his ears twitch and move. The real Nick is happy, and playful, and yes, still very sarcastic, and maybe a bit guarded, but he isn't mean, and he isn't condescending, and he doesn't feel the need to project an exaggerated attitude of apathy, like the fox she'd met on her first day as a cop. She wants to ask him about what the doctor said, and what his plans are when they get back into Zootopia, and where he really lives. But she's certain Nick wouldn't welcome such intrusions, and would try to shut down any questions along those lines. She doesn't want him to feel trapped in the truck with her, pressured to reveal more about himself than he is comfortable.  
Most of all she wants to find out if he's still willing to be her partner on the force, but she has no idea how to broach the subject with him.  
His eyes shift from the road to her before darting back to the road ahead, "What's got you quiet over there? You know if you're going to shanghai me into a road trip, the least you can do is keep me entertained."  
"Okay then, where do you live?" So much for not pressuring him.  
"Yeah, see, Carrots, I was thinking more along the lines of you tell me a funny story, possibly something embarrassing and painful from your teen years."  
"When I was a teenager, I really wanted to be a cop, and no one thought I would succeed. Are you homeless Nick?"  
"Wow, you are persistent. New topic. Also, can I say, that's a pretty messed up thing to ask a guy. Do I look homeless to you?"  
"Nick-"  
"-Judy," he says pointedly, and she feels even guiltier, "if I answer the question, will you immediately drop the subject permanently? Because the other option you have is I jump out of this moving truck, and we both die horribly." He hasn't mentioned the third option, that she just stops asking questions, and she is impressed at how realistic he is keeping his expectations.  
"Gee, what a difficult choice. Yes. Yes, if you answer the question, I will drop it," she says, and then can't help adding, "for now."  
"God, how are you negotiating with me on this?!" He explodes incredulously, "I am doing you a favor right now. And you don't have some innate right to know private shit about me!" His words are indignant, but they come out sounding whiny and petulant, "I am in the right, I know I am! How are you negotiating, and why am I going along with it?!"  
Judy wisely stays silent while Nick glares at the dashboard, then sighs, defeated. "Okay, go ahead and ask me again."  
"Are you homeless Nick?"  
"Really, you are sticking with that wording? Did you not understand it's pretty insulting? You are something else Carrots."  
Judy silently waits, knowing he is only procrastinating.  
"I am not exactly homeless. But I will admit, I do not have a home of my own." Nick grimaces like he is having teeth pulled, "I sleep in different locations on different nights, it's called couch surfing."  
"Is one of those places under the bridge?" Judy thinks of the first time they met, his taunt to her about her dreams dying, about living in squalor in a box under a bridge. Had that been inspired by reality? He'd had a chair and other furnishings when she found him under the bridge earlier today.  
"You don't get a second question. I answered, and now we are dropping it." But she still doesn't know if Nick sleeps under a bridge, even part time. If her friend is safe at night, if he needs her help.  
"Right, fair enough. So, what did the doctor say about your injuries?"  
"Oh," he seems surprised at her compliance, and doesn't think to be annoyed by the new choice of topic, "nothing big. I bruised my ribs a bit, so they'll hurt for the next little while. So no putting me to work on the farm. You aren't getting free labor out of this 'sedentary' fox."  
He's deflecting, but she's pleased he's answered at all. It's a good sign that he's making jokes; he isn't actually upset with her.  
"What about you?" He continues, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "How many stitches did it take to close the gaping wound? Or did they just cut the whole limb off?"  
"Hah, only seventeen."  
"Seventeen!" He blanches visibly, gripping the steering wheel tighter, "God Judy, I didn't realize it was that bad."  
She puts her paw on his arm, near his elbow, "It's fine Nick. He said I hadn't lost a significant amount of blood, and he doesn't think I'll even have a scar," _that can't be easily hidden by my fur_ , "I just have to change my bandages twice day for the next little while and watch for infection." The look on his face makes her wish she hadn't said the word 'infection'.  
"Are you sure you should be heading back into the city so soon? Shouldn’t you stay home and let your family take care of you?"  
"No, I'll be fine. I want to get things back on track. I just want to get back to my life."  
"So you are going to try and get back on the force?" His ears perk up, though she isn't sure he's aware of it, "That's good. You're a great cop Judy." His voice is filled with such warmth and admiration that she finds herself blushing.  
_And you're a great partner Nick_ , she almost says. It's the perfect segue, a sincere compliment, offered as a reaction to his, something she thinks he could accept without discomfort. And it isn't too direct, she isn't asking if he'll be her partner on the force, just mentioning they make a good team. If he wanted to broach the topic of becoming a cop, he could do so easily and casually, possibly as a 'joke'. She's realized that one of the best ways to get Nick to be honest about anything emotional/personal is to let him make it a joke.  
But the words die on her tongue, as the millions of reasons why he genuinely might abhor the idea fill her mind, chief among them not wanting her for a partner. She can really only think of two reasons for him to become a cop: He'd be good at it (but that's true of a number of things) and she really really wants him to. She swallows the thought, and mumbles, "thanks," regretfully.  
"And I've got to be honest, I'm really glad you'll be back in town," he continues, smiling warmly. She's surprised, he's basically just admitted, unprompted, that he missed her.  
"I missed you." She blurts out, because that's at least something she can say. He laughs at her outburst, but doesn't mock her for it, and that's confirmation enough.  
"Well I'm looking forward to showing you the city. You didn't really stick around long enough to get a true sense of Zootopia last time." She wonders why he is being so unguardedly sweet to her suddenly. She's used to his friendliness being expressed through good natured ribbing.  
It suddenly dawns on her that her bouts of introspection during the drive might read to Nick as sadness. He'd interpreted her dejection at his imagined rejection as insecurity, and was trying to cheer her up as best he could.  
Her chest suddenly aches with the surge of affection she feels for him. She squeezes his arm where her paw still rest near his elbow, and fights the urge to tell him he's wonderful. He can only comfortably handle so much sincerity.  
"What exactly makes you an expert when it comes to Zootopia? Living there most of your life can't be the sum of your qualifications."  
He chuckles smugly, "I know everyone Carrots, and that means I have the inside scoop on all the best that Zootopia has to offer. I know how to show a small town bumpkin like you around my city."  
"I don't know, Nick, you seem more likely to swindle a girl than show her a good time. I've heard tell you once pickpocketed a cop, and then bragged about it."  
He barks once with laughter, "I can't believe a responsible officer of the law like yourself would stoop to reporting hearsay. There's no evidence of this alleged pickpocketing, and your source is in all likelihood some shifty character you met on the street. As to your other baseless accusation, well, I can assure you Carrots, I know how to show a girl a good time." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at her, "You've admitted yourself I'm pretty smooth."  
"Yeah yeah, I bet your idea of a good time involves drinking and betting on some game of chance."  
"Pool is not a game of chance!"  
"Aha! But you do bet money."  
"No actually," he says chuckling, "but that's only because I'm not good enough."  
"Well then, we'll have to play for something other than money when we get home, because I'm not too confident about my pool skills either."  
"Who says I'm going anywhere near a bar with you?" He grins as he stares ahead at the road, "I'm keeping you restricted to activities more your speed. Like bingo, or needle point, or competitive jump rope."  
"I'd be amazing at competitive jump rope."  
"You are totally proving my point. I won't be bringing you around any of my regular haunts, we wouldn't want to expose you to the seedy underbelly of Zootopia."  
"Hah, I already met you."  
"And I've clearly corrupted you. You're the godmother of a mobster's granddaughter, you had a DMV official illegally search for a license plate, you and an unnamed accomplice broke into a medical research facility, you successfully outhustled a hustler…" that last one he says with a hint of pride, "and all this within just hours of meeting me. I don't think we can risk you meeting any other unsavory characters."  
"Thing is, when you list my crimes like that, it becomes pretty clear it's already too late for me."  
"My God, you're right! Curse my devastating good looks, they've doomed another innocent to a life of ill repute!" After a pause filled with Judy's laughter, Nick drops his dramatic tone, "No seriously Carrots, do you even drink?"  
"Of course I do. I'm from a tiny farming town."  
"What does that have to do with anything?"  
"See that's what you city folk don't get," Judy begins, shifting her leg, which is beginning to ache more and more, "you look at me, and you see a straight laced bunny cop, some naïve girl who grew up on a farm."  
"Right, but that's what you are." She rolls her eyes at his arrogance.  
"Yeah, but what do you think we do for entertainment out in the sticks at night?"  
"Have pie eating contests?"  
"Nope."  
"Sit around listening to ghost stories?"  
"What? No. We-"  
"-Multiply?" He suggests with a feral grin.  
"Okay there's some of that. A lot of that. But also, we drink. A lot. There's not much else to do. So we know how to party. I bet any mammal from Bunnyburrow could drink you under the table."  
"Seriously? You do realize I'm like twice your weight, giving me a pretty big advantage over any bunny."  
"We aren't just bunnies in Bunnyburrow."  
"Well the name is misleading then. And you said any mammal from Bunnyburrow, and that includes any bunnies."  
"Yeah, and I stand by that statement." _As long as it isn't tested_ , she thinks. She hasn't been exaggerating about Bunnyburrans propensity to drink, and while she believes all of Bunnyburrow's larger inhabitants, as well as many of its smaller inhabitants, her father among them, could easily out drink one Nick Wilde, without knowing more about Nick's drinking habits, she can't discount the fact that his size would give him quite an advantage over at least a portion of Bunnyburrow's population. And she knows for a fact that her statement is false, because unless Nick is a complete lightweight, she knows of at least on Bunnyburran who could not hope to match him drink for drink: her. Judy had never much cared for the popular pastime, but she'd rankled at his assumption she wasn't a drinker. By all rights she should be given her hometown.  
"Well, if you say so," he says doubtfully, shrugging, "I guess I don't know much about the world outside of Zootopia."  
A thought suddenly occurs to Judy. "Is this the first time you've been outside of Zootopia Nick?"  
Nick shrugs embarrassedly, "I never had much cause to leave. It's the center of the world."  
"Well then I'm honored you ventured outside for me. And I'm looking forward to showing you around my hometown."  
"Speaking of which, how much farther away is it? The sun is nearly set here Carrots."  
"We're still another two hours away. That's why you were the perfect choice of driver, great night vision."  
"I thought I was your only choice."  
"True, but it doesn't hurt that you have excellent night vision, at least, I assume you do."  
"Stereotypes are hurtful Carrots."  
"It's a biological fact you have twice the amount of rods in your eyes as me. Plus you yourself included it on your application under special skills."  
Nick chuckles, but doesn't react to her mention of the police application. "I do have great night vision. I've always heard that bunnies were blind in the dark. Are you?"  
"Not exactly, but I tend not to drive at night if avoidable. Trade off is, I have much better color vision than you."  
"I can see colors."  
"Well yeah, but not like I can. There are shades you are missing out on Nick. Great night vision has disadvantages."  
"Oh I'm well aware of that, but it's nothing to do with colors," he taps his sunglasses, "why do you think I wear these constantly?"  
"Oh."  
"It isn't just to look cool." Judy had in fact assumed that was the primary reason.  
"Given we're another two hours away, what say we stop at the next rest stop, it's just up ahead. We can have some supper and take more painkillers before we get back on the road."  
"Sounds like a plan to me," Nick says, merging in to the right hand lane and keeping his keen eyes peeled for the next exit.


	3. Nick

Once they get back on the highway after supper, it isn't long before Judy, full of food and pills, is fast asleep in the passenger seat. So much for not wanting to sleep again anytime soon. This leaves Nick alone with his thoughts, something he'd longed for all day, but that leaves him the time to get himself worked up about meeting Judy's parents. She'd been so sure they'd like him, but Judy tended to be overly optimistic in her expectations of mammals' reactions to Nick. So far she seemed to be the only person who could see past the fact that he was a smart mouthed fox. He trusts her, but not her assessment of her parents' views.  
_Why does it even matter?_ He isn't trying to marry into the damn family, seeking their vote in an election, or applying for a job on their farm. He is one of their adult daughter's friends. What they will think of him is irrelevant. They live in a town he will likely never visit again. Why is he so anxious at the idea they wouldn't approve of him?  
He looks over at Judy's sleeping form and sighs. Because it would upset her, and somehow that had become reason enough for anything.  
_I'm a gown mammal, I'm in my thirties, and I am way past worrying about what two little fluff balls will think of me._  
But the knot of anxiety in his gut doesn't dissipate. 

The signs to Bunnyburrow are easy enough to follow, and he doesn't need Judy to act as navigator, so he lets her sleep. He realizes while driving down Bunnyburrow's main thoroughfare, aptly named Main street, that he doesn't know how to get to her parent's house. He knows the address, but it's of little use without a map of the area to help him locate Meadows lane. He wishes he had a smart phone, or even a simple paper map.  
Until she'd moved to Zootopia, Judy had lived at 223 Meadows lane according to her driver's license. Why had he memorized that? It wasn't a Zootopian address, that much had been obvious standing in the DMV with her, but he'd memorized it anyway, just in case. Well here was that case, and he wasn't even making good use of it. He thinks of waking Judy, but the idea of admitting he doesn't know where he is runs counter to his very nature. Nick Wilde knows every street in the giant mass of Zootopia, and has always prided himself on his superior sense of direction. It may be his first time outside the big city, but a small town shouldn't be much challenge compared to the elaborate maze of his birthplace. He decides to drive the length of Main street looking for Meadows lane. If that fails, he'll systematically check every intersection until he finds it. He stifles a sudden yawn so it won't wake his companion. He hopes he finds her home soon, his exhaustion is really catching up with him. 

It takes him forty minutes - who knew such a small town could be so spread out? He should have just woken her, but the longer it took to find Meadows lane, the more determined he was to find it on his own. He'd have actually enjoyed solving this little puzzle if he hadn't been so tired, so eager to rest for the night. Now he's driving down the long driveway of 223 Meadows lane, watching the farm house grow larger with each passing second. There's a tall barn not far from the large single story house, and the driveway itself is littered with farm equipment, leaving only a narrow path for him to thread through. He glances over at the sleeping form beside him. He's strangely looking forward to her sleepy surprise when she learns she's already home. He remembers his mother carrying him in from a car (who's car he can't recall, they'd never had their own) to put him to bed late one night. He'd only partially woken up, and he'd felt warm and safe and loved. It’s a pleasant memory. He briefly pictures carrying Judy into the house still sleeping in his arms, before shaking his head at his own bizarre impulse. What an odd fox he is. That's when his keen eyes pick up movement ahead on the driveway, between the barn and the house, and it dawns on him abruptly that if they've arrived, interacting with her family is imminent. Suddenly Judy being asleep is unacceptable, and all thoughts of how pleased she'll look vanish from his mind as panic sets in. He slows the truck's advance down to a crawl, watching as all sizes of rabbits come into view, some pouring onto the porch of the house through the open front door.  
"Carrots!" he hisses in a loud whisper, before catching himself and thinking better of the whisper, "CARROTS!" He reaches his right paw blindly over to catch hold of her shoulder and shake her, while keeping his eyes ahead of him on the driveway. For now the gathering animals seem to be waiting in front of the farm house, but how long until they wonder at his snail's pace and walk out to meet the truck.  
"Judy!" He shakes her more vigorously, "We're home. Well you're home. We're here Carrots. Wake up! I don't want to meet your parents without you."  
Judy groans and rolls away from him, pressing herself up against the passenger door, mumbling incoherently into the window pane. He leans over to catch hold of her again, "This isn't funny Carrots, I'm having a goddamn panic attack. You are home, your parents are here, and oh god they can see me through the windshield and they are watching me shake you!" He's let the truck get too close to the house, and now rabbits are walking towards it, an older pair out front, peering with narrowed eyes into the front seat at the strange tableau he and Judy compose.  
"What?" Judy asks, her voice heavy with sleep, and Nick sags with relief, "Who put the paper in his office last night?"  
"What? What are you talking about Carrots? What paper?" He turns to look at her, and she's rolled back towards him, but her eyes are still closed. She's still asleep somehow. He pastes a smile on his face and nods at the bunnies approaching the truck, the light from the front porch illuminating everything, while speaking to Judy at a low volume. "Carrots you better wake up right damn now or I will never forgive you, and I will go live under that goddamn bridge just to spite you, no wait, I'll make you live under the bridge," he puts the truck into park and kills the engine, figuring this is as good a place to park as any, "now wake up, I don't deal well with large families, and yours is about the largest I've ever seen." He reaches out to pat her arm, and hidden from view, pinches it instead.  
Judy's eyes fly open with a gasp, and she takes in her surroundings without blinking. Then she turns and opens the passenger door and is out of the truck before Nick can even process the sudden change in her demeanor. There are exclamations from the rabbits gathered as they all converge on Judy in small groups, hoping up and down excitedly and hugging her. A rabbit reaches in through the door she left wide open and grabs her crutches for her, before shutting the door with a slam. Nick finds himself alone, the noise outside the truck muted, not sure what to do next. Looking out Nick searches the crowd for the two older rabbits, and they've not taken their eyes off of him. _Great_.  
He fiddles nervously with the sunglasses tucked into his collar, feeling completely at a loss. He should probably get out of the vehicle, but he can't seem to make himself abandon the quiet refuge and enter the fray.  
Judy is suddenly at the driver's door, and she's yanking it open and beaming up at him as she teeters on a single crutch. "Come on Nick, get out of there and come meet the Hoppses." She's already yanking on his arm as he's undoing his seatbelt, and then she has him off balance and out in the yard, and there are rabbits everywhere, crowding around him. He starts to worry they'll somehow use up all the air and he'll have none left to breathe. He doesn’t want to suffocate out here in the middle of nowheresville. He takes comfort in how tall he suddenly feels, his greater height guaranteeing his access to fresh air. He looks around frantically for Judy, but in the disorienting press of tiny grey bodies he isn't sure where she is. Then he realizes someone is holding his paw, and sure enough there she is, tucked right in near his side, gripping his paw and leaning heavily on the crutch under her other arm. She looks so happy as she speaks rapidly with the bunnies around her, gesturing at him intermittently. Rabbits of different ages, all looking a bit like Judy, keep coming up to introduce themselves. Nick normally prides himself on his name and face retention, but he's feeling overwhelmed by the sheer density of hopping rabbits, and how incredibly familiar with him they are behaving. Several of the younger bunnies hug him without warning.  
"Good to have you home Jude," The older male Nick assumed was her father is hugging her now, and she still hasn't let go of Nick's paw.  
"I was worried about you driving this late at night." The bunny standing beside her father, says, turning towards Nick with a smile, "You must be Nicholas. I'm Bonnie, Judy's mother, it's a pleasure to meet you."  
"It's nice to meet you too," His mouth feels dry, and he slips his paw out of Judy's with a tug, to offer it to her mother. But she takes no notice of his extended paw, she's already pulling him into a hug, while a bouncing little grey blur beside her exclaims loudly, 'We saw you one the news Judy! We saw you!"  
"Did you really fight a whole flock of sheep Judy?" That came from somewhere to Nick's right, another young voice, this time more masculine. A chorus of questions surge around them, and only Nick seems to find the chaos disorienting.  
"My God Bonnie, she's injured!" Judy's father sounds panicked, "You're injured Jude! You didn't say you were injured on the phone. Oh, Bonnie, her leg is bandaged!"  
Bonnie finally pulls back from the hug to glance appraisingly at her daughters leg. "Now Stu, I'm sure she's fine, or else they wouldn't have let her come home," Bonnie shoots Judy a narrowed look from beside him, before raising her voice to address the assembled family. "All right guys, simmer down, let's get these two inside."  
The bunnies stop talking all at once, and turn as one toward the porch steps. Bonnie still has her arm slung low around his back from the hug, and she's pulling him along towards the house. Nick lets himself be guided, glancing back to see that Judy is just behind them, leaning on her father and her one crutch. He notices a small rabbit to her left is proudly waving the other crutch around, pretending it's some type of weapon.

It turned out that it was well past the bedtime of the younger litters, so they were ushered off to the dormitory, but not before demanding a story from Judy. Judy at first protested, she'd just told them a story the night before, but then gave in when they insisted she finally had a good story to tell them. Nick finds himself standing in the large kitchen along with her father and two of the older siblings, most of whom had dispersed as soon as it became clear the evening's excitement was over. To his surprise, Judy appears to be the oldest child in the house by a few years. He wonders where all her litter mates are.  
A boy Nick would guess is in his final year of school sits at the kitchen table giving Nick the stink eye and straining obviously to keep his arm muscles flexed in their position crossed over his chest. Nick is used to ridiculous male posturing and he ignores the youth entirely. A younger girl is putting pots and pans away, and keeps sneaking curious glances at Nick, while pretending to be fully focused on her task. He's amused by the fact that she seems to be under the impression she's being discreet.  
Stu Hopps is leaning against the kitchen counter, gnawing on a carrot nervously, and shooting Nick undecipherable looks. The kitchen is silent save the occasional clatter of dishes, and the continuous crunch of Stu's carrot. It's unnerving, and Nick hopes Judy isn't gone too long.  
Bonnie walks into the kitchen from a side hallway, carrying a fresh towel, and what looks to be pajamas. She points at the young buck trying out his impression of a tough guy, and jerks her thumb over her shoulder. The young buck obeys silently, stopping in the doorway to give Nick one last threatening look. Nick rolls his eyes, and notices the younger girl stifling a giggle. Bonnie meanwhile has been observing her husband as she deposits what she was carrying on the table. "Cut that out Stu, you're making the poor guy uncomfortable." She smiles at Nick, walking over to pat him on the arm, "don't mind Stu, he's just worried about Judy."  
Nick is grateful at least one of Judy's parents seems to accept him, though he's a little put off by how she keeps invading his personal space. Judy's issues with boundaries seem to be inherited. He wonders if all rabbits are like this, or just Hoppses. The girl seems to have finished putting away the pots and pans, and is now pretending to find her nails fascinating. She must be after gossip.  
Stu looks at him again, and then looks away, grabbing another carrot to worry at with his teeth.  
Nick isn't terribly surprised he makes Judy's father nervous. Even Judy is on some level afraid of him, and she's admittedly far more progressive, and courageous, than her parents.  
"Oh just spit it out Stu," Bonnie urges, smiling indulgently at Nick.  
"How bad is it?" Nick is puzzled at first, looking into the anxious face of Stu Hopps, until he sees Stu glancing at the crutch someone had left behind on the kitchen table.  
"You mean her leg?"  
"Yes!" Stu nods frantically, and Nick realizes the man isn't afraid of him, he's just working himself into a fit worrying about his daughter's injuries. It seems a little silly given his daughter is safe and under the same roof, available for questions on this very topic. It's hard to believe such a fearful man could have produced the first bunny cop in Zootopia, the most fearless woman he'd ever met.  
Nick shrugs, dismissing the thought that he'd been just as scared a few hours ago, "It’s fine, just a laceration." He hopes Judy won't mind him revealing that much.  
Bonnie nods with relief, and he realizes she's worried too, she's just containing it better than her spouse.  
"How did it happen?" Stu follows up.  
It occurs to Nick that unlike him, who'd been present for all of the action, they had very little idea of what Judy had gone through today. They'd clearly seen some report on the news, and they knew she'd been in danger. But for all they knew she'd been shot, or poisoned, or _had leapt from an exploding train_.  
Against his better judgement Nick provides more context, "She got her leg caught on a display tusk while we were trying to escape." That's far less dramatic than what they were probably imagining.  
"Escape?" Stu's eyes get bigger, and Nick realizes that word only provokes more worry.  
"Look you should probably ask Judy about it." He's already said more than he is comfortable with, affected in his exhausted state by their overwhelming worry. This was why he always avoided family drama. Nick respects privacy, and has no idea what Judy plans to tell her parents. Did Judy keep secrets from her parents?  
Stu looks dejected, "But she won't tell us the whole of it. She doesn't like us to worry." _That's a yes._  
"Which of course didn't stop her from becoming a cop," Bonnie says a little bitterly, and it's clear they resent Judy's job. "Not that we weren't very proud of her!" Bonnie adds, when she sees the look on his face. She moves to stand beside her husband and take his paw in hers, and Nick looks away, uncomfortable with how demonstrative they are about their emotions.  
Nick looks to the young girl lurking in the corner. She's got a look of intense concentration on her face, and she's tracking movement with her eyes, back and forth behind him. He's about to turn around when his peripheral vision catches a flash of russet, and it dawns on him that his tail is flicking back and forth slowly, as it does when he's anxious. He is a bit embarrassed, and consciously stills his tail, tucking it behind him. He watches in amusement as her puzzled frown grows, before her eyes dart up to see what's happened, only to find him looking right back at her with a raised eyebrow and a pointed smirk. She freezes, her eyes wide with panic, realizing she's been caught watching him. She blushes and looks away, and then a moment later, apparently unable to overcome her mortification, she darts out of the room. He tunes back into the conversation taking place between Judy's parents.  
"Oh cheese and crackers Bonnie, you don't think she'll want to go back now? Rejoin the force?" Stu sounds horrified, and close to tears, and Nick wishes he had left too. Because he knows for a fact that's exactly her plan, and when he leaves tomorrow she's going with him. He feels guilty, like he's stealing her away, even though he knows better.  
"Probably," Bonnie answers.  
"But we just got her home. She was finally happy working at the vegetable stand."  
"She wasn't happy Stu."  
Stu ignores Bonnie's words and looks to Nick for help, "She isn't really going back is she? I know she had to go in and save the day today, and I'm really proud of her for that, but she isn't going to move back into that terrible apartment, and put herself in danger all over again is she?"  
While he doesn't plan to enlighten him, Nick can't help but sympathize with Stu's anxiety. He'd been so pleased at the thought of having Judy around again, that he hadn't thought about the danger she'd be in once she was back in the uniform. It is a bit scary, but he also has faith that Judy can take care of herself.  
"You really should ask her yourself," he answers, "but honestly Stu," Nick winces, wishing he'd stuck with 'Mr. Hopps', "I wouldn't worry about Judy either way. She's the most competent and frankly terrifying cop I've ever met." He doesn't mention just how many cops he's met, "I think she's safe wherever she goes, and so are the people around her." Stu looks like he might argue, so Nick presses on, "Her injury today happened because she tripped on something sharp while distracted, which is just as likely to happen on a farm, if not more so. I don't know what half those machines we drove past were, but they all looked pretty dangerous to me."  
Bonnie smiles at him, and at least she looks reassured. Unfortunately that means she feels compelled to hug him again. He doesn't understand how Judy puts up with all this touchy feely crap. _She likes it, obviously, like most normal mammals lacking trust issues._  
Stu narrows his eyes at Nick, "You know what her plans are don't you?"  
"I really can't speak for your daughter, you'll have to ask her." Nick stares back at him, and Stu looks away first.  
"Well, at least if she goes back, you'll be there to look out for her, right?" Nick frowns at the question, even as something deep in his chest answers, _Yes._ "I think you've got the wrong idea about me Mr. Hopps. Judy needed my help with some information, but that's about all I'm good for. She did all the actual heroics. You daughter doesn't need protecting."  
"Oh come on, you weren't a total dud in the heroics department. You did do the victory toot toot," Judy says, walking into the room and fixing her father with a stern look. "Daddy, quit asking Nick about my business. He's a guest in this house, and my friend, not your informant." Nick is so glad to see her he doesn't bother controlling the wide grin that splits his face.  
"We just worry about you honey," Stu replies sheepishly, giving Nick an apologetic look.  
"Yeah but you worry about everything Dad. The little ones are asleep, and honestly, I feel like we should be too." She looks at Nick to gauge his reaction, and he nods in agreement. She turns to her mother, "So Mom, where're we sleeping tonight?"  
Nick hopes they have a bed large enough for him. He doubts he could squeeze into a bunny sized bed. Nick rarely feels like a large mammal, but here in the Hoppses' house, he feels like a giant. Luckily they are rabbits with tall ears, so the ceilings, built to give their ears room, are high enough to clear his skull. Though his ears are in constant contact with the ceiling, and he has to stoop down to pass through doorways. It makes him feel mildly claustrophobic, and he feels sympathy for larger mammals for the first time in his life. It must be unpleasant to feel like this all the time, like an unwieldy blob, taking up more than your fair share of space.  
"Well I thought you could go sleep in one of the dorm rooms, and we'd stick our guest in the guest room." Bonnie answers simply, picking up the towel and pajamas she'd carried in earlier and thrusting them into Nick's arms. "These are for you Nicholas, I figured you wouldn't've had time to bring any clothes with you. There is a bathroom attached to the guest room, and Judy can show you how the shower faucet works if you need help." Nick nods mutely at her, certain the pajamas won't fit. "Breakfast will be ready at 6, but if you aren't an early riser you don't need to worry about getting up then, I'll fix you something when you wake up. Jude, there's an extra bed in the yellow room, I figured you could take that one."  
"Aww, mom, I can't sleep with the Qs, they are going through that prank phase. I'll wake up with one ear dyed black, or a bald spot on my forehead, or with my paw in warm water."  
"Well honey, the only other spare bed is with the tots, and you just got them to sleep. So you choose where you want to go. Or you can go sleep in the barn if you really don't like your options here. You're lucky you had the use of guest room all this time."  
"But we've loved having her back at home, right Bonnie?" Stu adds hastily, "And the guest room is yours as long as you want it honey," he reassures Judy, "as long as we don't have guests."  
Judy sighs, and then using a crutch under her right arm, she reaches up to grab Nick's paw with her left, leading him out of the kitchen, as he struggles to keep hold of his bundle with just the use of one arm. "Night mom, night dad" she calls over her shoulder, pulling him into the main hall, and then down another wide hallway that slopes downward gently. She's surprisingly adept with her single crutch.  
"Night sweetie, night Nicholas" comes Bonnie's voice from around the corner, followed by Stu's, "We love you very much!"  
They descend steadily, turning right as the hallway bends and continues its decline. At the bottom, Judy pulls him around another corner and Nick tries to slip his paw out of hers, but she's got a firm grip. They pass a long hall with different colored doors.  
"The yellow room's down there," She tells him, "And my old room as well. But since everyone else in my litter's long gone, it's been given to the Ts. Here, you're down here," She pulls him down another passageway, that opens up into a larger den. There is a TV against the far wall, the only wall that doesn’t have any doorways in it, and there's about a dozen couches littered around the room, some facing the TV. The room is filled with rabbits of different ages, in groups or alone, playing games, or watching the TV. Some black and white movie he doesn't recognize is playing on the screen as they walk in. She leads him around the back of the room and out through another door.  
"This place is a maze!" he exclaims, looking through the doorways they pass and getting glimpses of the rooms beyond.  
"Well the downstairs wasn't dug all in one go, more was excavated as the family grew," she explains and she leads him into a smaller room filled with desks and a few book shelves. Two bunnies are studying in a corner, and the girl who'd been putting away dishes earlier is seated in the passage way reading.  
"Out of the way Natasha," Judy says, exasperation creeping in to her tone, "Why don't you ever sit in the chairs? There're plenty of empty ones."  
Natasha opens her mouth to reply, nose still in her book, her tone petulant, "Not everyone can-" when she looks up from her book to address Judy and catches sight of Nick. "Oh," She turns bright red and closes her book with a thump.  
"Not everyone can what Natasha?" Judy asks, not yet aware of why her sister has stumbled, but willing to pounce.  
Nick smiles at Natasha from behind Judy, "It looks like a cozier way to read."  
Natasha's eyes light up, and she looks shyly away from Nick, "it is," she agrees in a quiet voice.  
Judy casts a puzzled look back at Nick, and he ignores her, still observing Natasha. There's something terribly sweet about her. He gets a kick out of how easily he can make her smile, or blush. He wonders if Judy was ever this shy.  
Probably not.  
"Well, doesn't matter why, we need to get through, so scoot!" Judy says and Natasha shoots her a defiant look before standing and moving to the side. Judy is off again, pulling him along, and as he passes Natasha, he flashes her another dazzling smile, but she doesn't notice, her eyes are fixed on where his arm meets Judy's. He feels self-conscious again about his paw in hers, and as they enter another passageway, this one narrower, and less well lit, he tries again to slip her grip. She notices this time and stops, letting him go and turning to look at him. "What's wrong?"  
"I'm not a kid Carrots, you don't have to lead me by the paw. I'm not about to wander off and get lost." He means to sound teasing, but it just sounds like a criticism.  
Her face falls, and he regrets his words immediately, "I know you're not a kid Nick. I was just, I don't know," she trails off and looks dejectedly at the ground, "I'm sorry, I didn't know it bugged you."  
Nick looks at her downturned face in horror, filling up with self-loathing. Was holding her paw truly so terrible? _No._ Why was he such a colossal asshole?  
He shouldn't have this much power, he thinks resentfully, that he is able to hurt her with just a few words. That's the problem with friendships.  
He clears his throat, not sure how to fix this, but she's recovered, and is moving away from him.  
"It's not much further Nick, just down here," she's moving quickly despite her leg, using her single crutch to propel her in large bounds, and he has to rush after her. He doesn't know if she is trying to prove a point, or just wants to be away from him as soon as possible. He's keeping up with her fairly well despite how sore he feels, until he drops his towel. He stops to pick it up and she's gone, disappearing around a corner as he looks up, "Wait!" he yells, jogging as best he can to catch her, "I dropped something."  
As he rounds the corner he catches sight of her going through another door. He pushes himself, trying to catch up, but she continues to keep just ahead of him, and he begins to suspect she's playing with him. They have now obviously doubled back towards the TV room, and while that could be an attempt on her part to lose him, the fact that he never falls very far behind her suggests she wants him to keep up. He grins as he considers his options. If he stops, and lets her get ahead, will she be forced to double back to find him? Could he lie in wait to ambush her? Maybe give her a good scare?  
He doubts it, she knows the house so much better than him, she'd probably end up startling him. And of course there's the possibility she really would leave him to his own devices.  
His lungs start to ache with the effort of pursuit, and his ribs feel inflamed. He can't keep this up much longer, maybe he really is out of shape, they haven't been at it long. He thinks of finding another bunny, they're everywhere in this house, and having them show him to the guest room. She'd have to cede the game if he found his way without her. But he worries that would make him a poor sport. If they're playing, she's gotten over her hurt feelings, and he doesn't want to do anything to provoke them again.  
He's starting to really sweat now, and the pain in his ribs is sharper, so he's slows down to a fast walk, and sure enough, she slows too. He's still smiling despite the pain, and he can hear her laughing, and just one more pass though this section of the house and he'll know enough to set a trap. And then the next glimpse of her he catches has a clear view of her crutch, and he remembers she is injured as well. Suddenly the game isn't funny, and he doesn't know how she's still ahead of him, but he has to end it now.  
And then he realizes what she is waiting for; how to end the game.  
"You win, you win!" He yells out, stopping to lean against a wall, sweat soaking his clothes, his only clothes, "You were right!" He calls out, "I do need to be led by the paw, and I have wandered off and now I'm lost." He runs out of breath on the last part, so it comes out as a whisper, and he hopes she's near enough to hear him. He listens for any sign of her, but he is deafened by the sound of his own panting, and the surging of his pulse in his ears.  
He slumps down the wall and sits on the floor, feeling once again like a giant bruise. He starts to laugh helplessly, breathlessly, "I'm too old for this! Carrots, where're you Carrots? You've won, now come get me."  
She pokes her head out from around the corner to his right, and he's relieved to see she's panting heavily too, but smiling.  
"C'mere" he gestures, and she comes a bit closer, laughing silently at him, still using her crutch to jump further. That must be how she did it, hopping on one leg, not really running. He waves her closer, and when she's within reach he darts out a paw to grab her shirt and yank her down beside him against the wall. She's caught off guard and loses balance easily, falling against him with an "oof," and he presses her up against his side, so she knows it's okay to lean on him. He feels good with her small weight resting on him, and he ignores the part of him that recoils at the closeness.  
"You are crazy Carrots," he says when he has finally caught his breath, and what he really means is thank you, because she'd known how to fix what he'd made a mess of.  
She leans against him without speaking for a few minutes then she clears her throat. "Now my siblings will think I'm even weirder."  
"Do they think you're weird?"  
"Everyone does."  
He laughs, "Well you are kind of weird."  
"Thanks Nick," she rolls her eyes at him, moving to get up off the floor.  
"But everyone is weird in their own way Carrots. Everyone is different."  
She stops to look at him, smiling at the sentiment, "I suppose that's true."  
"But you are definitely weirder than the rest of us Carrots."  
She shoves at him as he laughs, then he stands and helps her up. "Come on, get me to my bedroom. I've had a ridiculously long day." She smiles as he takes her paw and waits for her to lead the way.  
Judy grimaces as she starts to walk down the hall, and Nick catches the way she wobbles on her good leg.  
"You did make it worse didn't you, you idiot!" he chides her, leaning down to scoop her up into his arms.  
She smiles sheepishly, "It seems I've managed to strain my good leg, so now I don't have anything to walk on."  
"You are a dumb bunny."  
"And you are a dumb fox,"  
"True enough. Alright navigator, where'm I going?"

Nick dozes lightly listening to the soothing sounds of the shower in his on suite. When they'd finally arrived at the 'guest' room, it'd been clear to Nick that this was Judy's room, littered with her things as it was. She'd gathered a pair of pajamas, and headed for the door, when he'd offered her his shower. It was really hers after all. She'd smiled and promised to be quick and disappeared through the door into the bathroom.  
Nick sighs and shifts on the tiny bed, his legs hanging over the bottom edge. He feels disgusting, his fur matted with dried sweat, but he isn't impatient for Judy to be done. The idea of waking himself enough to get clean isn't appealing, and as gross as his clothes are now, having to put them back on once he's clean is even less attractive. He knows the pajamas resting beside him on the bed won't fit, and he'll have to sleep curled up to avoid falling out of the bed in the night.  
Nick opens his eyes, his ears twitching as singing starts to pour out of the bathroom. He smiles and closes his eyes again, he doubts she's aware she's doing it. Judy seems so happy to be home, he isn't sure why she'd be in a rush to leave again. He thinks of the swarm that surrounded her as soon as she got out of the truck, so many happy balls of fluff, so happy to see her. He feels an unsettling tug in his chest, something that feels suspiciously like envy. He's never wanted siblings, but remembering Judy's large family gathered around her, he can sort of see the appeal. Siblings are like an automatic pack, a club you always belong to.  
Judy's almost immediate physical comfort with him also makes more sense now. It had surprised him how quickly she'd felt comfortable touching a fox, and it had been part of why learning she was afraid of him had been so hurtful. Nick lived in a world where you don't just touch people casually, you do it to manipulate or intimidate. Physical affection is something he'd gotten exclusively from his mother as a kit, and then over the years, from a series of short lived girlfriends. Judy's need to touch his arm in an effort to comfort him on the sky tram, while unnerving, had also made him feel trusted and understood. And then it had turned out he was neither.  
But he could see now that to Judy, touching was just part of daily life. She patted, and leaned, and bumped shoulders, and held paws, without thought, because there was nothing fraught about any of it for her.  
The singing cuts off abruptly in a strangled gasp, and he laughs out loud, knowing Judy has just remembered he can hear her. "Sounds great Carrots." He says, listening for her embarrassed moan, which follows a second later. The sound of running water is all he can hear after that and then that cuts off as well, replaced by the sound of shower rungs clanking. He plans to sit up to greet her, but moving, even to open his eyes, doesn't seem worth it. He hears the door creak open, and footsteps on the floor, and then there's a weight beside him in the small bed, causing him to bounce lightly in place.  
He opens one eye to examine the weight. Judy is standing over him on the bed, a grin on her face, dressed in a blue pajama set littered with orange carrots, and though she'd hate it if he said it, the only word that could accurately describe her is cute.  
"The shower is free Nick," She tells him cheerfully, and he responds by closing his one open eye and rolling onto his side, his back to her.  
"Come on, get up! You stink, you need a shower." She says, bouncing beside him on the bed.  
"Who's fault is that?" He mutters darkly.  
"Uhh, I don't know, no one's?" Judy hazards, and he chuckles, because he hadn't said it with any intent, it'd just come out.  
"Yeah, I guess that's irrelevant," he sighs and rolls himself into a sitting position, "okay, I'm up, I'll wash off the stink, you don't have to worry about me ruining your nice mattress with smelly fox sweat."  
"Good," Judy says, sitting down beside him and patting his leg, "trust me, you'll feel so much better after."  
He gives her a dubious look, preparing a sarcastic comment, but Judy immediately pulls her paw back, like she's been burnt. He rolls his eyes; now he's made her paranoid. "Carrots, it's fine, I wasn't bothered-"  
"-No Nick," she cuts him off determinedly, "I didn't realize before I was making you uncomfortable, but I was thinking about it in the shower, and I clearly am, and I'm going to make an effort to stop." She smiles at him sheepishly, "I just, I, well it turns out I'm a very tactile mammal, and I'd never really realized before how much I," she trails off frowning, looking for the right word.  
"Grope other people?" he volunteers with a smile.  
She glares at him, and he laughs, "Carrots it's fine, I'm just not used to that much, let's say contact, but I'll get used to it."  
She shakes her head earnestly, "but Nick, you shouldn't have to get used to it! If something I do upsets you, I should just stop doing it!"  
"I'm telling you, it's fine, you don’t need to change."  
"But I do," she insists stubbornly.  
"I can't take you seriously in that outfit," he says in response, and her face shifts to puzzled.  
"What's wrong with my outfit?" she asks, looking down at her pajamas.  
He rolls his eyes at her, "nothing, it's super intimidating. Look Carrots," he says, giving her a stern look, so she'll really listen, "you don't need to change your behavior, I'm just having trouble adjusting. It still kind of weirds me out-"  
"-But I don't want to weird you-"  
"-but that doesn't mean I don't like it." He finishes, talking over her interruption.  
"Oh." Judy looks surprised, and he raises his eyebrows at her.  
"See how much better it would be if you just listened, instead of rudely interrupting," he teases condescendingly.  
"Right, I'm the rude one," she grouses, punching his arm playfully. Then she leans over to hug him.  
"Geez Carrots," Nick exclaims, pulling back, "I didn't say I liked it either."  
"But you do!" Judy practically bowls him over, and he finds himself on his back again, with two rabbit arms around his chest, and her weight on top of him.  
"Careful, my ribs," he complains softly, and she apologizes into his collar bone, the sound muffled by his fur.  
He sighs, like he's indulging an annoying pest, but he brings his arms up to wrap around her. The truth is, there is something pleasant about being hugged, and if he could just convince the part of himself that finds it unsettling and suspicious to shut up, he would enjoy having a friend like Judy.  
He shifts, and then scrunches down on his left side, ignoring his sore ribs, moving his shoulder to try and wipe his armpit on the arm she has resting under it. "Perfect, I needed something to wipe my sweat on."  
She shrieks and lets go of him, but he keeps hold of her with his right arm.  
"Where're you going? I finally have this hugging thing working to my advantage," he laughs, and she wiggles free of his grip and jumps off the bed. "Well now I'm feeling rejected Carrots." He places a paw over his heart and sniffles falsely.  
She's smelling her right arm and wrinkling her nose. "Gross Nick, now my arm stinks."  
"That's what you get for hugging a dirty fox. You realize I'm now even less likely to wash in the future. I've discovered natural bunny repellent."  
"I think it's everyone repellent."  
"Yeah, it might cut into my ability to make a living on my charm alone." He gets up, taking the pile Bonnie had prepared with him, "I guess I'll have to find an alternative bunny repellent. See you later Carrots," he says, stepping into the bathroom.  
"Goodnight Nick," she says as he shuts the bathroom door, and a moment later he hears the bedroom door shut as well. He is finally alone. Nick smiles and whistles contentedly to himself as he begins loosening his tie.


	4. Judy

Judy wakes to the sound of a tractor rumbling, and groans. She misses her bed. She'd decided to sleep out in the barn last night, not wanting to risk a prank at the hands of her ten year old siblings, not with such an important meeting at the precinct tomorrow.  
She lays still for a while, not completely awake, contemplating the day ahead. She knows going back to Zootopia, being a cop, is what she wants to do. But she worries her parents will see it as her abandoning them in the middle of the busiest part of the year.  
The first time she'd left home, they'd known she would be leaving. Judy had never been shy about her ambitions, and she'd always made it clear she wanted no place on the farm. She'd helped out while she lived at home, as all the kids did, but she'd always been clear it was temporary. But when she moved back home, when she gave up her dream, they'd started to rely on her, like they did Archie. They'd made space for her in the life of the farm, just as their busy season started. She feels wretched for leaving now, but she hadn't thought of that when arranging things with Bogo the day before.  
She decides to go through her regular tasks for the day, pull her weight one last time, and then let her parents know in the afternoon that she would be leaving again. She'll just have to accept however they choose to view it.  
She sits up, looking around the barn, trying to guess what time it is. She's slept in clearly, because the sun is up, and light is pouring in through the open barn door. But the sun is still low on the horizon, and only half of the farm is mobilized, so she still might be able to get her tasks done in time. First she'll have to track her mother down, see if she can help her change her bandage. She'd made a mess of it on her own last night, after her shower. She rushes as best she can into the house, and is in time to have breakfast with the tots.  
It ends up being irrelevant that she slept in, as she's deemed unfit for farm work the second Archie lays eyes on her, and is sent back into the house, where she helps her mother and Natasha get her elementary school-aged siblings ready for school. She stays behind with her mother as Natasha leads them off in a procession down the road to the school house.  
"Thanks for your help this morning Jude," her mother says as they put away the kitchen dishes, "but I'm sure you have a lot of arrangements to make before you head out, so don't think you need to hang around to help me."  
Judy stops drying the dish she's holding to look at her mother, "You know?"  
"Of course I know honey."  
"And you aren't mad?" Judy asks in a little voice, not daring to meet her mother's eyes.  
"Oh Jude, I never expected you to stay for long. You aren't like Archie, you aren't a farmer, and you don't really belong here."  
Judy puts down her plate and hugs her mother gratefully, "thanks mom."  
"Besides, you were going to be pretty useless for the next week anyway, with your leg as it is. So we were going to have to adapt anyway," her mother explains patiently, rubbing Judy's back comfortingly. "Now your father is another story, he's still in denial about your prospects as a farmer. So we'll have to tell him gently."  
"Okay."  
"And we'll have to tell him soon."  
"Okay."  
"And I don't see you being very productive once we tell him, so you'd better get going now, and arrange what needs to be arranged." And then her mother shoos her out of the kitchen.  
Judy can't decide what she should do first, so she heads to her room, the 'guest' room, to check on Nick. She listens at the door for signs Nick is awake, and hears soft snoring from within. Unable to resist the impulse, she opens the door slowly, slipping silently into the room as soon as she can squeeze through the doorway. She leaves the door ajar, and lets her eyes roam around the room, taking inventory. Nick's legs are sticking out of the bottom of the bed, sporting red plaid pajama pants that, like the bed, are several sizes too small. The rest of him is hidden from view under a pile of blankets. Judy wonders if he managed to get the top on as well, until she spots it on the floor by the headboard. Evidently not. Nick's clothes are in a pile by the bathroom door, and she gathers them up, finding validation for her little invasion. She grabs her dirty laundry hamper from the bathroom, adding his clothes to hers, and carries the hamper out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.  
She pulls her phone out as she makes her way towards the laundry room, and dials Clawhauser's extension at the precinct. She's arrived at her destination by the time he answers.  
"Officer Benjamin Clawhauser, how may I help you?"  
"Hey Benji," Judy greets, setting the hamper down, and finding an empty machine, "it's Judy."  
"Oh Em Gee, Judy! I still can't believe the mayor was behind it all along! Things are so crazy here, and I'm back at the front desk, though I guess you knew that, since you did call me here." The cheetah chortles cheerfully, "Do you need to talk to Bogo?"  
"Actually Benji, I was calling to talk to you," Judy answers, separating her clothes into colors and whites with just one paw.  
"No way, really?"  
"Yes, really." Judy holds up Nick's tie, and wonders if ties can be washed.  
"Well what can I help you with Judy?"  
"I need some information Benji, " Judy explains, cradling the phone between her head and her shoulder, trying to find a tag on the tie with instructions for washing.  
"Of course, what do you need to know?"  
Judy glares at the tie, and then shrugs. "Well first, can you wash ties in the washing mashing?"  
"What? No, of course not. Well, not most of them. Mine are dry clean only."  
"What if you can't get it to the dry cleaners?"  
"Why wouldn't you be able to get it to the dry cleaners? They're everywhere!" Judy isn't sure how to answer that, so she stays silent. After a second, Clawhauser goes on, "but I have heard that if you're stuck, you can soak them in like mild soap and water, and then let them air dry. So you could try that."  
"Thanks Benji," Judy tosses the tie into the laundry sink, planning to give that a try.  
"Was that all?"  
"What? No, that wasn't even, no," Judy pauses to gather her thoughts as she resumes sorting the clothes by color, "I need to find out about getting reinstated." Clawhauser squeals loudly in her ear, startling Judy, causing her to drop the phone from her shoulder. She reaches down to pick it up again, and Clawhauser is still making excited noises on the other end. "Chief Bogo had mentioned the possibility of me coming back when we spoke yesterday, and I just wanted to see what steps needed to be taken to get me back on the force," Judy continues, hoping the cheetah can hear her over his own cheers.  
"Oh you won't need to worry about that Judy, there's no steps to take."  
Judy frowns, and tosses an old pair of pants into the colors pile, "What do you mean no steps?"  
"Well Chief Bogo never actually put in the paperwork for your resignation, so technically, you never left the force."  
Judy stops sorting, "Wait what? I've been on the force this whole time?"  
"Yeah, actually, you've been on unpaid leave all this time," Clawhauser giggles, "that part was my idea you know, since we had to do something about the fact that you'd stopped showing up to work."  
"Because I'd quit!"  
"Well yeah, but we couldn’t process that, so unpaid leave was the next best option."  
Judy considers that, and wonders if Bogo had had faith she'd be back. The thought warms her a bit.  
"The mayor thought it would look bad if anyone found out you'd left. She said you were the face of prey on the force."  
Judy sighs, of course it was the mayor who'd kept her on the force, to avoid bad press. "Okay then Benji, what do I need to do to get off unpaid leave?"  
"Oh, that's easy, Chief Bogo just has to fill out form 33D, and your leave will be over."  
"So I can be back at work anytime?"  
"Well sure, but aren't you injured?"  
"Yes," Judy looks down at her freshly bandaged leg. It is starting to ache again, she's an idiot for leaving her crutches behind. She'll need more pain killers before long if she keeps this up.  
"Well then you probably can't come back anytime. But as far as the paperwork goes, yeah, you can come back anytime."  
"Thank you Benji, that's really great to hear. I'll be in tomorrow for a debrief, so I'll see you then."  
"Oh great, I'll see you then Judy. I'm so glad you're coming back to work!"  
"Me too Benji, talk to you later." Judy hangs up, and sets the phone down. Her first call had gone very well. She loads the whites into the empty machine and turns it on. She dials the next number on her list, Grand Pangolin Apartments, and while it rings she takes a seat on the ground leaning against the washing machine, relieving some of the pressure on her leg. It only takes two rings for Mrs. Armadillo to answer the phone, "Hello, this is Mrs. Dharma Armadillo, may I ask who is calling?"  
"Hi Mrs. Armadillo, it's Judy Hopps."  
"Oh, yes, what do you want? You can't have your deposit back you know." The armadillo sounds cross.  
"Oh, that's not why I was calling, I wanted to know if you'd given my apartment away yet?"  
"Ohhh," Mrs. Armadillo's voice becomes more friendly, "No dear, I hadn't managed that yet. I wasn't in a rush since I already had this month's rent from you." Judy grins, her string of good luck continues.  
"Right, so I wonder if I could move back in then, tonight?" Judy asks hopefully.  
"If you want to. There's been a 10% rent increase though." Judy doubts that, but isn't in a position to bargain.  
"That's fine."  
"And I'll need a new deposit from you."  
"Sure, I can do that."  
"Okay then, I'll see you whenever you come to pick up the key. Bye."  
"Wait, wait, don't hang up yet," Judy says quickly, a thought suddenly occurring to her, "I have another question."  
"Yes?"  
"Do you have a two bedroom place? I was thinking I might need a guest room."  
"No. Only yours is empty."  
"Oh, okay then, never mind."  
"Okay, bye." And Mrs. Armadillo hangs up.  
Judy sighs, fiddling idly with Nick's green shirt. She supposes that call had gone well. She won't be homeless when she gets back into town, and she won't have to get used to new neighbors. Actually, that might have been nice. 

By the time Nick makes an appearance in the kitchen, it's nearing lunch time. He shuffles in through one of the kitchen doorways, looking completely ridiculous and ticked off. Judy, at the time the only occupant of the kitchen, immediately bursts into laughter, and has trouble stopping, despite Nick's angry glare. Something, possibly modesty, had compelled him to wrestle the pajama top on as well, and it only covers a small portion of his torso.  
"Somebody stole my clothes." He steps towards her angrily, and she snickers.  
"Are those not yours?"  
"Oh hah hah Carrots. Now where the hell are my clothes?" He gestures at himself angrily, "I look ridiculous, and I can tell you, this is not comfortable."  
"It looks like those pajamas are trying to fuse with your body."  
"They very well may be." He glances around nervously, and she realizes he's afraid someone will see him.  
"Don't worry Nick, the toddlers are napping, and most everyone else is outside working, or at school." She grins as she leans forward to prod his cream coloured stomach, "You're in pretty good shape for a guy your age. I'd assumed that untucked shirt was hiding a bit of a belly."  
He narrows his eyes at her further, "Yeah that's smart, call me old. Go ahead and antagonize me some more, why don't you."  
"I'm serious Nick, I think this is a good look for you." She nods appreciatively at him, "Just think of what you and Finnick could pull off with you dressed like this." He looks like he's plotting her death. "In fact, I'd bet Finnick would love a picture." She pulls out her phone, and he snatches it out of her paw.  
"Over your dead body," he threatens.  
"I can't take you seriously in that outfit," she answers gleefully.  
"Nice one Carrots," he doesn't seem amused, "now where're my clothes?"  
"Alright, alright, relax. I washed them, and I forgot to put them back."  
"You washed them?" Nick looks surprised, and drops his angry posture.  
"Well yeah, why did you think I took them?"  
"For this," he says, pointing at his ensemble.  
"No, this is just a happy consequence."  
"Well that's great for you, can we please go get them?" Nick gives her a pleading look, and she starts to feel guilty.  
"Okay, they're just in the laundry room, your tie might not be dry yet, but the rest of your things must be by now." She grabs her crutch from where it is leaning against the counter, and leads him out of the kitchen. They're just halfway down the hall when they bump into her mother.  
"Hey Mom, look, Nick is awake." Judy smiles at her mother, and moves to the side to make sure she isn't obstructing her mother's view.  
"Oh my," Bonnie utters, looking surprised, "I was so sure those would fit you."  
"Yeah well," Nick bites off the rest of his sarcastic comment, possibly because Bonnie isn't actually laughing at him, "you did your best."  
"I sure did," Bonnie replies, and then bursts out laughing, no longer able to suppress her reaction.  
"Oh great, great, more laughter." Nick reverts to sarcasm, "I thought you said everyone was outside working." He glares accusingly at Judy.  
"I said most everyone," Judy protests, shrugging at him, "Mom and I were just about to start getting lunch ready."  
Nick opens his mouth to say something, but at that moment an exasperated voice comes down the hall from where they'd just left, the kitchen.  
"Judy, you said you'd start peeling the carrots while I changed! Great, I guess I'll do it!"  
Nick looks at Judy in question, and she nods once, "Okay, Mom, Natasha, and I were about to start getting lunch ready."  
Natasha turns to look down the hallway, "Mommm, Judy said she'd-" and stops the second she notices Nick. Her eyes bug out, and she stands frozen for a moment in shock. Then she bursts predictably into giggles, covering her mouth with her paws.  
"Great, this is just wonderful," Nick mutters darkly, "who else can we find to laugh at me. You are all terrible people."  
"Oh Nicholas, we don't mean to laugh," Bonnie offers kindly, making an attempt to keep any mirth out of her voice, "it's just, you look a little silly."  
"Oh really Bonnie, I hadn't noticed!" Nick turns to glare at Natasha, and points at her authoritatively, "You, stop that giggling and get back in the kitchen!" The effect is immediate. Natasha swallows, blinking dumbly at Nick, and then disappears back into the kitchen. "Huh," he mutters to himself, "I didn't think that would work," he rounds on Judy, and with the same tone he used on Natasha, shouts, "And you, take me to my clothes!"  
Judy raises one eyebrow at him, "Want to try that again?"  
Nick deflates, "Come on, just get me to my clothes before anyone else sees me like this."  
"Come on tightpants, it's just down here," Judy says, leading him past her mother, who is chuckling again. "I'll be out in a minute to help mom."

Nick's tie isn't dry yet, but the rest of his clothes are, and he's so eager to get them on he's struggling out of the pajama top before Judy can even hand him his clothes. He quickly tosses her phone back to her, and she scrambles to catch it.  
"Geez Nick, I'm still in here."  
Nick pauses in the middle of getting his head clear, the top stuck around his elbows, "Well then get out."  
"I am, just give me a second to make it to the door." She places his dry clothes on the ground in front of him, since his paws are tangled in his shirt, and heads for the door.  
Nick is still struggling with the top, "You have the time Carrots, getting this off is even harder than getting it on."  
She pauses at the door, and with a wicked grin aims her phone at Nick. He's facing her, but the plaid shirt currently covers his eyes. She covers the sound the phone makes as she snaps a picture by saying, "meet me in the kitchen when you're done." Swinging the door shut behind her, she hears the sound of tearing fabric, and a string of muffled curses.  
She starts laughing again as she walks back to the kitchen, and she doesn't bother hiding it.

When Nick joins them in the kitchen a few minutes later, he looks like his normal self, minus his striped tie. He seems to be in a better mood as he wanders up behind Natasha, who is busy peeling carrots, and asks if she needs help. Judy notices the way Natasha freezes up before managing a silent nod. Nick seems to have expected this reaction, and he grins in amusement. _Weird._  
"Actually," Judy calls from where she stands at the stove, stirring the contents of several pots, "I have a better job for you."  
Nick turns to her, "What can I do for you Carrots?"  
Judy notices her mother frown at the nickname, but decides to address that later, "Well, there's something I need from back of the top cabinet, and I thought you could save me getting the step ladder."  
Nick's grin widens, "Wow, you're too short, even in your own home?"  
She rolls her eyes at him and gestures at the cabinet in question.  
He saunters over to it and opens it up, perusing the items that are eye level for him. "What'm I looking for?"  
"There should be a can of tuna fish there," Bonnie answers from where she's sitting at the table, cutting up radishes.  
"Oh yeah, there it is," Nick picks up a tin, examining it closely, "I didn't think rabbits ate fish."  
"We don't," Judy says, "but foxes do."  
Nick frowns and glances at her, "So this is for me?"  
"We thought you might need something more than just the vegetables we eat," Bonnie explains.  
"You don't need to worry about me, I'm happy with anything," Nick turns to Bonnie and smiles, "I'm an omnivore, so I don't really need meat to survive."  
"I know," Bonnie replies, "but I know you like to have some protein with your meals."  
Nick frowns in thought, "wait, you had this already." He puts it down on the counter beside the stove.  
"Oh, we keep those in the house in case Gideon stays for a meal," Bonnie says.  
"Gideon? That's the fox who bakes pies right?"  
"Yes he is. He'll be coming over this evening, maybe you'll get to meet him." Bonnie enthuses.  
"Cool," Nick doesn't seem as enthusiastic.  
"Well what time is he coming mom? Cause I've booked our train for 1630."  
"Oh you booked that." Nick asks, surprised.  
"Yeah, I figured we wouldn't want to get back into town too late. Big day tomorrow."  
"Smart." Nick nods thoughtfully, though Judy thinks he looks a little disappointed. _Maybe he likes the country?_  
"I'll call Gideon," Bonnie says, "and see if he can come over earlier. I think he was planning to show up later, for a drink with your father."  
"That's fine mom," Judy says, "Nick really doesn’t need to meet Gideon." For some reason the idea of them meeting makes her nervous.  
"Oh nonsense Judy, I'm sure he wants to meet the other fox in our lives. I'll go call him now." She stands up and walks out of the room. Nick gives Judy a significant look.  
"She didn't mean it like that Nick."  
Nick shrugs, "Hey now, if we leave this afternoon, that means I'll never get a chance to see how you Bunnyburrans party." Nick observes, coming over to stand on Judy's right, so he can peer down at what she's stirring.  
"I guess not." Judy is a little relieved.  
"Well I guess I won't get to see you in action," Nick laments, nudging Natasha with an elbow.  
"M-me?" Natasha's reply sounds more like a squeak.  
"Well yeah. I'm sure you can really put them away." Nick says confidently, grinning at her.  
"Oh, no, I don't drink," Natasha explains, "I'm still just a sophomore."  
"Are you sure?" Nick looks dubious, "You seem like a troublemaker to me."  
Natasha giggles, and looks down at her toes. "No, I'm boring."  
"Now that must be a lie," Nick says, looking over at Judy with exaggerated concern, "She's lying to me right?"  
Natasha laughs even louder, and turns to push at Nick's arm, "I'm not lying!"  
"Well, I guess I just can't read people." Nick says, shrugging and winking at Judy. "I'd have pegged you for the kind of girl who went on a lot of adventures."  
Natasha smiles at him, this time a wide confident smile, and Judy has trouble recognizing her own sister. Natasha has always been all but mute with anyone outside of the family. According to the older kids, she didn't really have any friends at the high school. It didn't help that she always seemed so much younger than she was.  
"I'm going to be that kind of girl, once I leave home." She tells Nick, conspiratorially, and Judy realizes she actually has no idea what Natasha wants to do in life.  
"Really? So I wasn't totally off then." Nick looks smug.  
"I want to be a writer." Natasha goes on, emboldened.  
"Like Charlotte?" Judy asks, and a flash of irritation passes over Natasha's tiny features.  
"No, not like Charlotte."  
"Who's Charlotte?" Nick asks, reaching over to grab a second peeler, and picking a carrot out of the pile Natasha has yet to peel.  
"She's one of our older sisters," Judy explains, "She's a local journalist, she writes for the Bunnyburrow Gazette."  
"Cool," Nick nods to himself, struggling with the carrot peeler. He looks down at Natasha as she peels several carrots a minute, "But that's not for you?"  
"No," Natasha answers, "I want to be a novelist. I want to go on adventures, and then write about them."  
"See I knew it." Nick says, nodding sagely at Natasha, "I knew that about you. Something about you just says, 'I'm a novelist.'"  
The young rabbit giggles again, looking very pleased.  
"What you need to do," Nick advises her, "is get to Zootopia as soon as you can. That's where all the real action happens."  
"That's my plan." Natasha flashes Judy a proud smile, and Judy is surprised. She's never really been close to the younger girl. They were both oddities in the family, but where Judy was decisive and determined, Natasha had always seemed fragile and scared. She wonders how she never noticed this side of her sister.  
"But you know Natasha," Nick goes on, winking at her, "You don't have to wait for school to end to start having adventures."  
"I guess."  
"I mean, by the time I was your age, I'd had all sorts of adventures."  
"Like what?"  
"Oh, your sister wouldn't like it if I told you about them. I was a pretty bad kit, if you can believe that."  
Natasha gives him a wicked grin, "I can."  
Nick laughs, and turns to smile at Judy, who can only stare in return. Nick tilts his head at her, and mouths 'What?'.  
Judy shakes her head at him, and mouths 'Never mind'.  
"See Carrots, even your sister has a better eye for scoundrels than you." Nick tells her, waggling his eyebrows, "She can tell I'm no good."  
"Why do you call Judy Carrots?" Natasha asks, peeling the last carrot in her pile and bending down to get more out of the sack on the floor at her feet.  
"Well, when I first met your sister," Nick begins, "I took a liking to her right away."  
Judy snorts with disbelief, but he ignores her.  
"She was fierce and earnest and willfully naïve, and she really came after me when I took advantage of her kindness." Nick goes on, waxing nostalgic, "and that really appealed to me."  
"Yeah?" Natasha encourages.  
"Oh totally," Nick confirms, "so I did what I do when I like someone."  
"What's that?"  
"I was cruel and dismissive, and downright mean. It’s coincidentally also what I do when I don't like someone."  
"You don't seem mean to me," Natasha protests.  
"Well see, that's because I want you to like me Natasha, so I'm being charming. But back before I knew your sister very well, once I'd taken advantage of her kindness, there wasn't any cause to get her to like me. So I wasn't charming, I was just myself."  
"Is that so?" Judy asks skeptically. She is amused by, but doesn't buy for a second, this rosy interpretation of their first encounter.  
"Sure." Nick shrugs at her, then turns back to address Natasha, "anyway, number one rule of being dismissive is you don't call animals by their real names or titles, so I called her Carrots, just to bug her, because I figured she came from some small carrot farming town, which, she did. I'm really good at reading mammals Natasha."  
Natasha nods along.  
"And that really ticked her off, she even told me not to call her Carrots, which was a mistake let me tell you, that only gave me more ammo. You never want to let your opponent know they've got to you Natasha, cause then they'll never let up. So I kept calling her Carrots, among other things, because it bothered her."  
"So now you call her that to bug her?"  
"Well no," Nick frowns, "it actually just became a habit somehow. Your sister proved to be so likable that within about 24 hours of meeting her, I lost all desire to be mean to her. The nickname just sort of stuck."  
"It's like pet name." Natasha offers.  
"Exactly," Nick agrees, "you get it."  
Judy smiles, because the truth is, she'd grown to like the fact that Nick called her Carrots, despite its origin.  
"Do you have a nickname?" Nick asks, pointing at Natasha with the peeler he'd barely used.  
"The kids at school call me Nat" Natasha supplies, "but I don't really like it."  
"Well that's for brevity. Same reason people call me Nick. I meant something that suits you."  
"Just Natasha."  
"Well it is a beautiful name. You know, I've always thought it sounds like the name of a mysterious and dangerous woman," Natasha blushes at his description, and Nick grins knowingly. "See, I know what to call you."  
"Gideon will try to be over here by 1545," Bonnie says, sweeping back into the room, "Aren't you done peeling those carrots yet Natasha?" She looks critically at the pile Natasha has amassed.  
"Sorry Mrs. Hopps, that's my fault, I was distracting her with my rambling," Nick offers apologetically.  
"The soup and the beets are done mom," Judy says, turning off the burners, "So why don't Nick and I go set the tables, and let you two finish with lunch?"  
"That sounds good honey," Bonnie says distractedly, sitting back down at the kitchen table.  
"Come on Nick," Judy says, nodding her head towards the leftmost door, "It's not like you're actually accomplishing anything here."  
Nick shrugs and plops the peeler down beside Natasha, "See you later Red." He winks at her as her turns to follow Judy out of the room.  
"Red?" Judy asks quietly, as they enter a large dining area, with 4 four long tables, "that's kind of mean."  
"So am I." He smiles at her, and gestures at a hutch along the far wall. "That where you keep the dishes?"  
"Yup."  
"Cool," He strides over quickly and opens it up, "wow, you have a lot of dishes in here. How many we need for lunch?"  
Judy thinks for a moment, using her crutch to hop around towards the first table against the wall, "We're only about 30 for lunch today, so we can eat all at once." At his puzzled look, she explains, "We normally eat in shifts."  
"Right," he says, looking around the room, "I wondered how you all fit in here."  
"We don't."  
"So just 30 today?" Nick reaches into the hutch and starts counting plates.  
"Yeah, and we'll need soup bowls too."  
"Okay."  
"And the cutlery is in the drawer below there," Judy gestures from her stationary position near the wall.  
"Wait," Nick stops his counting to look at her, "How're you going to carry any of this, using your crutch like that?"  
"I'm not."  
"I see. Then what exactly will you be doing?"  
"I'm here in a purely supervisory role Nick."  
"So," Nick says, as he begins setting the first table nearest her, "why isn't Natasha at school with the other kids? She said she's a sophomore."  
"Oh, during the peak season, high school is only in the afternoons, so teens can stay home and help out on the farm."  
"That's nice. So most of the 30 are-"  
"-My siblings who haven't graduated yet."  
"Cool. It really is a family farm."  
"It sure is. The younger kids help out on the weekends, but during the week, there's just the two sets of bunkmates. And Mom and Dad, and Archie and Natasha obviously."  
"Bunkmates?"  
"Yeah, all the bunnies born in a given year end up sharing a room once they're out of the dormitory. They're all about the same age, so they end up all leaving home around the same time. Though 4 of the Ls are already married, so they've moved out."  
"Married?," Nick looks confused.  
"Yeah, it happens quick out here. Linda, Larry, Leonard, and Lucy are gone, so we're down to only 14 Ls. They were the largest set, so it'll be hard next year, once they're gone. Plus two of the Ms are already engaged, so who knows how long they'll be around for."  
Nick's eyes are wide, and Judy wonders what's got him so confused.  
"Wait a second, are all children born on the same year named according to a letter?"  
"Well yeah. It makes it easier."  
"So all your siblings who are the same age as you…"  
"All have J names, yeah."  
"Whoa," Nick has finished setting the first table, and heads back to the hutch to get more dishes, "I guess if you have that many kids, you need a trick for naming them. And remembering the names. So right now, working on the farm you've got, the Ls, who are seniors?"  
"Right, and the Ms, who are juniors."  
"And the Ns, who are sophomores."  
Judy shakes her head, "The N."  
Nick frowns at her, "The N?"  
"Yeah, Natasha's the only one."  
"I didn't know rabbits had litters of one."  
"They don't." Judy watches as understanding dawns on Nick's face.  
"Oh."  
"Yeah. That's why Natasha's always been a bit odd. She's the only one left."  
"What happened?"  
Judy shrugs, "I'm not really sure. I was only six at the time, so I don't remember much, and we don't really talk about it. Mom normally has two or three litters in a year. There were two litters my year, I was in the first. Anyway, the first litter Natasha's year was huge. 12 kits born. Mom was so sick during the pregnancy, I remember that. But like a week after they were born, they all started dying, one by one. Except Natasha. She was the runt of the litter, but she lived."  
"Wow"  
"And Mom was too heartbroken to have another litter that year, so Natasha was the only kit with an N name."  
"So she doesn't have any bunkmates?"  
"Oh no, she does. She ended up with the Os"  
"The next year?"  
"No, Mom was still too depressed the next year. Natasha ended up staying in the nursery for two years. See normally, kits stay in the nursery until the next year's first litter is born, and then as a group they're all moved into the big dormitory for the toddlers."  
Nick is listening intently, no longer setting the table.  
"But Natasha was alone, so they just never moved her, and then when two years later the Os were born, a single litter of five, born late in the year, Natasha wouldn't go."  
"She wouldn’t go?"  
"Nope. I was eight by then, and I remember the tantrums. Us Js were already out of the dormitory and in the blue room, but you could hear Natasha at night. She wouldn't settle. See, she didn't really know the other kits, she'd been alone in the nursery too long. She thought that was where she belonged. She kept getting up in the night, and sneaking in to sleep with the newborns. She thought she'd finally been given a litter."  
"Wow."  
"Yeah, so Mom and Dad eventually gave up convincing her otherwise, and just let her stay. They were worried about what they'd do the next year, but when mom got pregnant, and it was time to move the Os into the dormitory, Natasha went with them without a peep. From then on, she always stayed with them, they became a litter of six. She stayed in the dormitory until they were ready for a room. She really is one of them. They grew up used to her, so they've always thought of her as one of them, just always a bit bigger. She's like their scout, she goes through everything first. That's why she seems younger than she is, she spends most of her time with 13 year olds. Last year, when she had to start high school, she really had trouble. It's hard for her to be away from her bunkmates all day. I think that's why Mom kept her inside with her to help with the little ones during the peak season, she never really got along with the Ms and Ls. They think she's a wuss, and they pick on her. Mom's always babied her, which doesn't help."  
"I guess she'll be happy next year, once the Os start high school."  
"Sure," Judy shrugs, "She hated elementary school until they started going. Getting her to go to kindergarten was hell. She didn't understand why she couldn't just wait until they went, like she had with their room. She had terrible attendance for the first 2 years, always running away at lunch time to come home. At least she doesn’t do that now. Although she does walk them to school each morning. Are you going to set the table or not?"  
Nick looks around, and notices he still has most of two tables to go, "Sorry."  
"Anyway, I've never heard her talk about herself like that with anyone but the Os, or Mom and Dad. She seems to like you."  
Nick smiles, "Yeah, she reminds me of the girls I went to high school with. They all had crushes on me."  
"Is that so? You were popular in high school?" Judy is politely skeptical.  
"Well no, I was still a fox," Nick says, finishing with the second table, "so most couldn't admit to it. But I could tell the girls all liked me." He smiles at Judy, and heads back to the hutch for the last time.  
"I see, so you were full of it back then too."  
Nick laughs, "Always. I was born full of it." He starts setting the final table, and asks Judy another question, "So, are you close to your bunkmates? The other Js?"  
Judy thinks for a moment, "I guess. I mean, I'm closer to them that I am my other siblings."  
"But? I heard a but in there."  
"But, well like I said, I've always been considered weird in my family."  
"Because you wanted to be a big city cop."  
"Yeah, and because I wasn't afraid of anything as a kit. I used to get into all sorts of trouble because of how fearless I was. Only my brother Joseph ever believed I could make it in the academy, and he was terrified by the idea."  
"Joseph?"  
"Yeah, he's actually away in medical school right now. He plans to set up a practice in Bunnnyburrow once he's done."  
"Cool."  
"Yeah, most of my family thought my dreams were either scary, or foolish, or both."  
"But they were wrong." Nick smiles proudly at her, and she smiles back.  
"They were."  
A comfortable silence settles over them as Nick finishes setting the table for lunch.  
When he's finished, he comes to stand beside her.  
"So Nick, what was your family like?" Judy asks.  
Nick gives her a sad grin, "My family was the polar opposite of yours. Tiny, and very supportive. It was just my mom and me, and she thought I could do anything I set my mind to. She was delusional obviously," he says with a self-deprecating shrug, "she thought I hung the moon and the stars. She'd be pretty disappointed if she knew how I really turned out."  
Judy reaches out to take his paw, and squeezes it, "No she wouldn't."  
He squeezes her paw back, "Maybe not. Anyway," Nick clears his throat loudly, dropping her paw, "the table is done, so what next?"  
"Next we go see if lunch is ready, and if so, we can go call everyone in."  
They head towards the kitchen, and Nick's face lights up, but she can tell it's fake, "please tell me there's a bell you ring to call everyone in from the fields. I've seen that on TV."  
"There is not."  
"You know so far, this farm is a real rip off. No dinner bell, no dirndl skirts, no straw hats, and I haven't eaten a single blueberry."

By the time lunch was over, Judy thought Nick must have had his fill of straw hats, blueberries, and family drama. Judy had broken the news to her family during the meal that she and Nick would be heading back into the city that afternoon. Her father had burst into tears, and Archie had accused her of abandoning the family in a difficult time. Her mother had tried to smooth things over, but Archie had stormed out angrily nonetheless. The Ls and the Ms had been left unfazed by her news, busy fighting each other for second helpings of lunch. And Natasha even seemed pleased, but that might have been because she'd nabbed a seat beside Nick, who'd spent most of the meal telling her off color jokes, quietly, so that Bonnie wouldn't hear. Natasha had blushed furiously at some of them, but had egged him on each time, laughing, and claiming she'd heard worse at school.  
Judy was starting to think Natasha was hustling Nick, as she had slowly, through flattery and dramatic gasps, induced Nick to reveal details of his childhood Judy had thought he guarded carefully. Judy could hardly believe this was the same sister who cried the whole first week of grade nine and still refused to walk alone in the forest after dark. Was this who Natasha always was, or did Nick really bring out the hustler in everyone? Judy was frustrated she couldn't make out most of their conversation, as she was busy dealing with the fallout of her revelations for most of the meal.  
As they clear the dishes after lunch, once most everyone had gone back outside to work or downstairs to get ready for school, Judy observes Natasha whispering what appears to be a joke, from the way she keeps stopping to regain her composure after fits of giggles, in to Nick's ear, as he crouches down to her level. To Judy's surprise, Nick looks scandalized by the punchline, and pulls away from Natasha to search her face in shock.  
"Where did you hear that one?" He asks, a little too sharply, and Natasha suddenly wilts.  
"You don't think it's funny?" She asks quietly, clearly wishing she could melt right into the ground and disappear.  
"Don't get me wrong Red, that joke is objectively hilarious," Nick replies, in tones that don't convey any humor, "but seriously, where did you hear that one?"  
Natasha frowns at him, "Behind the bleachers at school."  
Nick's eyebrows shoot up at that, and his ears flatten down against his head, "What're you doing out behind the bleachers?"  
Natasha looks annoyed, "Observing the secret lives of teenagers."  
Nick chuckles as that, relaxing, "Observing?"  
"Yeah, for my novel. You can get a lot of dirt hanging out in the shadows under the bleachers."  
Nick's ears perk up again, and he grins warmly at Natasha, "That is a fact Red."  
After a moment, when they've dropped another load of dishes off in the kitchen, Judy, who is pretending not to eavesdrop, hears Nick approach Natasha again.  
"Honestly Red, what do you think that joke is about?"  
Natasha concentrates on the cutlery she's gathering, turning an even brighter shade of red, "Seriously?"  
"No really, I don't think I got it." Nick is pretty amazing at faking sincerity Judy thinks as she observes him out of the corner of her eye.  
Natasha fidgets nervously, and then leans forward and beckons Nick closer. He crouches down so she can whisper directly into his ear again. After a minute he catches Judy's eye and gives her a relieved smile, and Judy realizes she is not great at eavesdropping discreetly.  
Natasha finishes her explanation, and Nick makes a point of nodding and exclaiming, "Oh I see."  
Natasha narrows her eyes at him, "That is right, isn't it? That's what that means?"  
Nick picks up a final stack of dishes and starts walking back towards the kitchen, "Yeah honey, that is definitely what that means." He catches Judy's eye again and furrows his brows, clearly saying, _that is not what that means_.  
Judy rolls her eyes, and follows him into the kitchen, with Natasha on her heels. Bonnie is no longer in the kitchen, having left to go wake up the toddlers from their nap. Nick reaches his paws into the sink, and using the cloth hanging over the tap, starts to wash the dishes, handing the cleans ones alternately to Natasha and Judy to dry.  
They wash and dry the dishes in companionable silence for a few moments, until Nick clears his throat.  
"So Red," he begins, and Judy is again surprised at how quickly Natasha has accepted this new nickname, "do you have any little boyfriends at school?"  
Natasha laughs lightly, "No Nick, of course not."  
"Of course not? What do you mean of course not?" Nick pretends to understand, "Oh, are all the cute bunnies related to you?"  
Natasha scrunches up her face, laughing, "Gross! No!"  
Nick shrugs, and reaches into the water again to bring up another plate, "Well given how many siblings, and nieces and nephews, and cousins you must have, that isn't a crazy theory."  
Natasha laughs and turns to stack the dish she's drying on the table. "No, I just don't have time for boys."  
Nick nods thoughtfully, "That’s smart."  
"Boys are how you get stuck in this town," Natasha elaborates, locking eyes with Judy, "Judy knows that. It's why she never dated."  
"Judy never dated?" Nick is clearly intrigued, realizing he can pump Natasha for information.  
"Alright alright," Judy interrupts, not liking where the conversation is going, "if you're done flirting with my little sister Nick, she probably needs to get ready for school."  
Nick smiles wickedly at her, and Natasha glares, looking embarrassed.  
"Shouldn't we finish the dishes?" Nick asks.  
"We'll do just fine without her," Judy answers, and gives Natasha a pointed look. Natasha huffs, but leaves the room quickly, putting her dish cloth down on the counter.  
"That was mean." Nick says, once Natasha is out of the room.  
"What, sending your little friend away?"  
"No, accusing me of flirting with her," Nick is smiling good-naturedly at her, "it clearly embarrassed the poor thing, and it's frankly insulting to me."  
"Oh yeah?"  
"Yeah, it makes me sound like some sort of pervert."  
"An old pervert."  
"See, you are mean," Nick crows in delight, pulling a pot out of the sink and handing it to her. "And here I've just been traumatized by your little sister."  
"Traumatized," Judy chuckles in anticipation of the ridiculousness she knows is about to come out of Nick Wilde.  
"Yeah, traumatized. That joke she told me."  
"It was that bad?"  
"It was terrible Carrots. I mean, I think it's the most inappropriate joke I've ever heard."  
"I doubt that."  
"No really, it was about the most vile thing I've ever heard. And I've heard some things in my years."  
"Let's hear it then."  
"No way Carrots, I don't think you're old enough to handle that joke."  
She glares at him, "Is that so?"  
"Honestly, I feel I'm still too young for that joke. I know I may seem like some tough and world weary fox to you, but I still have some innocence left in my heart. Or at least, I did."  
"You poor thing," Judy says sarcastically.  
"Well that isn't even half the trauma Carrots."  
"No?"  
"No," Nick explains, "obviously it's the shock of hearing it from such a seemingly innocent girl. I mean, my God. I feel as though I now know what it's like to have a daughter."  
"Oh good, I was worried you were about to exaggerate," Judy deadpans.  
"Yeah, specifically what it's like to have a daughter, and find out she's become a stripper."  
Judy almost drops the pot she's drying, "Whaaat?!"  
Nick grins triumphantly at her outburst, "yeah, and then it turns out to be a misunderstanding, and she was never a stripper, but that trauma, of thinking for a minute she was, well that really marks a father. And I feel like I just went through that. And then you come along, and add insult to injury, and pretend I've been flirting with a 15 year old."  
"You are a ridiculous animal Wilde," Judy says, shaking her head in disbelief.  
"I can assure you, Carrots, you've never even seen me flirt. Believe me, you'd know it if you saw it. I'm shameless when I flirt."  
"You're always shameless!" She exclaims, laughing despite herself.  
"That is true. But trust me, you’d know it if you saw it." He winks at her, and reaches into the water to scrub at another pot.  
"I don't doubt that. But could you stop being a bad influence on my little sister. One day with you and she'll go from wall flower to wild child."  
"Nah, she's a good kid. I'm just giving her material for her book. She says she thinks I could be the inspiration for a great character."  
"You're letting the flattery of a 15 year old girl go to your head."  
"Well I've got no one else's flattery to go on," he tells her, grinning wolfishly.  
"You hinting here Nick?"  
"Yes, obviously. I don't think you pay me enough compliments. You hardly ever tell me I'm pretty anymore."  
"I've never told you that."  
"And you wonder why I have to flirt with highschoolers."  
Judy laughs helplessly, "So is that all it takes to get your secrets out of you."  
Nick frowns, "What do you mean?"  
"You sure were giving Natasha a lot of information about your childhood."  
Understanding dawns in Nick's eyes, "Ohhh, yeah those were lies."  
"What?"  
"Well yeah, I can't be telling her about my actual childhood, that shit's depressing, doesn't make for good writing."  
Nick hands her what seems to be the last pot to dry, and pulls the plug out of the bottom of the sink. He gestures at the dishes stacked neatly on the kitchen table. "I take it those go back into the other room?"  
"Yup, right where you found them in the hutch."  
"I'm on it." Nick picks up one of the stacks and carries it out of the room while Judy finishes drying to pot and puts it away.  
"You know," she starts, as he comes back into the room to grab more plates, "I'm sure Natasha, and most people, would disagree with you."  
"About what?" Nick pauses in the doorway, struggling with the weight he's holding.  
"That depressing stories don't make for quality writing. Aren't many of the great literary figures tragic? Isn't that what gives them depth?"  
Nick rolls his eyes at her and steps out into the hall. Judy starts wiping the counter top down, and glances at the clock above the 6 burner stove.  
"If you don't leave now, you're going to be late!" she yells down the stairs at the back of the kitchen. There is the noise of scrambling and thumping downstairs, and she turns back towards the hall in time to watch Nick come back into the kitchen.  
"You have a point, but you see, I'm hoping to be one of those two dimensional bit characters that everyone thinks is cool."  
"Just like in life then?"  
Nick laughs, and picks up the stack of bowls sitting on the table, "Exactly. Depth is a mistake. What one really should aspire to project is shallow charm."  
"And you can't do both? Depth and charm?"  
Nick shakes his head without hesitation. "You can't admire someone you pity Carrots," he says as he carries the bowls out of the room.  
Thumping on the steps signal the beginning of the mass exodus as several teenaged bunnies come bounding up the narrow staircase, leaving through the side door at the top. Judy can hear more still running up the sloping corridor off the main hall, heading for the front door. Natasha is the last to clear the top of the stairs, and she pauses in the kitchen, letting the side door close behind the bunny in front of her. She looks critically at the clean kitchen, glaring her question at Judy.  
"He's just-"  
"Plus I honestly think-" Nick cuts himself off as he walks back into the kitchen and spots Natasha, "Red?"  
Natasha barely blushes as she steps hesitantly towards Nick, "I won't be home from school before you leave for Zootopia later. So, I thought, I, well," Natasha swallows nervously, and then a determined look settles on her face and she holds out her paw towards Nick, "I just wanted to say it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance."  
Nick's eyebrows go up, and Judy worries for a second he might start laughing at Natasha's formality. Instead Nick smiles and reaches out to take Natasha's paw, titling his head to consider her. "The pleasure was all mine Red," he says fondly, shaking her paw. Winking at Judy over Natasha's shoulder, he pulls Natasha towards him into a fast hug. He releases her quickly, adding, "Keep me posted on your writing, Judy will know how to get news to me."  
Natasha, now blushing furiously under her unfortunately white fur, unable to look anywhere but at her feet, stammers a high pitched, "bye," and bolts out the kitchen side door. Nick looks pleased with himself.  
"That girl has a quality I really enjoy."  
"Yeah, and that quality is being easily flustered." Judy rings out the wash cloth she used to wipe down the counter, and hangs it over the sink faucet.  
"Possibly. What now?"  
"Well," Judy says, watching Nick grin smugly in her kitchen, "why don't we go see how mom is doing with the toddlers."  
Nick's ears droop, and he looks at her with half lidded eyes, "oh great, babies."

Unfortunately, Gideon does arrive promptly at 1545, just as Nick and Judy have finished packing up her belongings.  
"Now I know the real reason you wanted me to come home with you," Nick says as they carry several pieces of luggage out to the truck, to prepare their departure.  
"So you could drive me home?" Judy hadn't been coy about that.  
"Yeah, but also, you needed someone to carry your luggage."  
Judy rolls her eyes, "Yeah, that's why I recruited you Nick, for your notorious strength."  
Nick ignores her dig, "I'm just a handsome chauffeur slash bellboy to you. Hey, is that the pie van?" Nick points at a red van that is approaching the house quickly, pastries decorating it's sides.  
Judy is suddenly filled with panic, and tries to push Nick behind the truck to hide.  
"What're you doing?" Nick asks, shrugging off her pushing and looking at her like she's crazy.  
Judy feels stupid, and immediately straightens up, "Nothing."  
"Okay weirdo. I take it that is the pie van. Do you not want me to meet Gideon?"  
"No." Judy can't even explain her behavior to herself, but luckily Nick has decided to be playful.  
"Oh I get it, you don't want me to have any pie. You think I'm fat, and you think I don't deserve pie."  
The van pulls up in front of the porch and stops, and Gideon Grey jumps out of the driver side. "Heya Judy," he calls, walking towards them, "your mom said I should come by before you left."  
"Yeah, she mentioned that. She's just inside actually." Judy points towards the porch.  
Gideon isn't paying attention to her gestures though, he's studying Nick.  
Judy turns to Nick and gestures at Gideon, "Nick, I'd like you to meet Gideon. He's a business partner of my parents, and we," Judy pauses, not sure how to put it, "we grew up together."  
"Oh my, that's a kindly way of putting it," Gideon smiles gratefully, and reaches a paw out towards Nick.  
Nick squints at Judy for a second, before putting on his largest smile and grabbing hold of Gideon's paw. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a more recent acquaintance of Judy's, but don't worry, I was mean to her too," he says, shaking the other fox's paw vigorously.  
Nick's eyes sparkle with mischief as he looks back towards Judy, and she fights the urge to kick him. He always seems to pick up on what she doesn't want him to.  
Gideon blinks at Nick in confusion, and then covers by laughing. "Right right." He turns to Judy and beams again, "I hear you saved the day Judy. That sure is exciting."  
"Yeah, and it was thanks to you in some part Gideon," Judy explains, relaxing now that the discussion between Nick and Gideon seems to be going no further.  
"Oh no, I'm sure I didn't do anything."  
"No, you did," Judy turns to Nick, "Gideon's the one who mentioned the plants were called nighthowlers."  
"Ah," Nick nods appreciatively, and Judy can't tell if he's faking interest or not. "Right, we thought they were wolves."  
"Oh I see."  
"On account of all the howling they do." Nick rolls his eyes at Gideon like they are sharing a canine joke at the expense of wolves, but Gideon just grins helplessly at him.  
"Anyway," Judy interrupts, "my mom's just inside, so let's head into the kitchen why don't we."  
"I heard you might be bringing us some pies," Nick looks appraisingly at the van, "I myself love blueberries, in all forms."  
"Oh yes, I have several blueberry pies, here, let me just go and get them." Gideon heads towards the back of his van, opening the doors to pull out a tray of pies.  
Nick nudges Judy with his elbow, and then sticks his tongue out at her. Judy scowls at him, but then goes back to smiling as Gideon turns to face them again.  
"Need any help with that?" Judy offers, but Gideon is already shaking his head.  
"No Judy, I've gotten mighty good at carrying these trays around, don't you worry about me." He carries the tray with him up onto the porch and inside, leaving Nick and Judy outside by the truck.  
Nick rolls his eyes at her, and at a low volume says, "you didn't want me to know your childhood bully was a fox."  
She should be pleased he is amused by this, but she's mostly annoyed by how smug he's being.  
"Let's get inside." She steps towards the house, and can hear him chuckling as he follows her.  


Only her father comes to see her off at the train station this time. He and Nick make awkward small talk as they wait for the train to arrive. She stands silently observing the two males, who discuss the quality of the weather at least three distinct times. They both keep glancing at her nervously, and she knows she should be carrying the bulk of the conversation, but she finds herself at a loss for words.  
_Am I sad to be leaving?_ She finds herself unexpectedly listless as she looks around the mostly empty station. Last time she'd been so excited to go, and now she mostly feels lonely. She watches Nick tell her father the joke about a three humped camel, expecting to find comfort in the fact that he'll be going on this journey with her. Instead, as her father bursts into laughter at the punchline, she finds herself tearing up. She hurls herself towards her father, hugging him tightly, and once he recovers from the surprise, he wraps his arms around her.  
"I'm going to miss you Dad," she sniffles, "and Mom, and the farm, and everyone. I'm going to miss you so much."  
"I know Honey," her father soothes, rubbing comforting circles on her back, "and you can come home anytime you want, you know. We're always glad to see you."  
"Thanks Dad," Judy pulls away, feeling a bit embarrassed, and looks to Nick as she wipes her eyes. Nick is looking away, his shoulders tense and his ears sloped down. Great, she's made him uncomfortable.  
Just then her ears pick up the sound of the train approaching, and a second later she sees Nick's ears twitch and his shoulders relax visibly.  
"Well here it is Jude," her father announces in a choked voice as the train pulls into sight. It is clearly his turn to tear up, and he doesn't fare much better than she did in suppressing it. "Are you sure you want to go Judy?"  
Judy is still watching Nick, who is gathering up her luggage and edging closer to the track in anticipation. She clears her throat and turns to hug her dad again. "Yeah Dad, I'm sure."  
"Okay Honey," he says as the trains pulls up and begins to slow. Her father sounds oddly disappointed, as if he'd really thought for a moment she'd call it off. "If that's what you want. But you need to be careful. Keep yourself out of danger as much as possible."  
She nods dutifully, and glances over to see Nick lining himself up with where he thinks the larger doors will open, "I will Dad."  
"Let those with more experience do the risky things, and listen to your superior officers, and don't take unnecessary risks."  
"Of course Dad."  
"And listen to Nick, he knows a lot about the city. Listen to his warnings."  
Judy pulls back from the hug to give her father an incredulous look. When had he decided Nick was a source of good advice?  
"Sure Dad," she says uncertainly, "I'll listen to Nick."  
Her father frowns at her tone, holding her shoulders determinedly, "I'm serious Judy, you've always been so stubborn and fearless. It's why you didn't listen when everyone said you couldn't be a cop, and why you didn't listen when you were told to just be a meter maid. And that's all fine I suppose, but you also run the risk of ignoring real danger when warned about it." Her father sighs in exasperation, and lets go of her shoulders, "I can just see you ignoring advice about a criminal, or a neighborhood, or anything, and getting yourself killed. Sometimes people tell you you can't do things because you really shouldn't do them."  
Judy nods in understanding, "Okay Dad, I promise, I'll try to listen. Now," she gestures over her shoulder to where Nick is currently boarding the stopped train, "I better go before Nick leaves with my stuff."  
"Of course Honey."  
Judy hugs her father one last time, and then gathers her crutches from where she'd leant them against a post, and hurries onto the train. She leaps up through the larger entrance Nick had used. He's standing just inside the doors with her luggage, and looks relieved once she's standing beside him.  
"Going to leave without me?" she asks as she turns to wave to her father through the open door.  
"Maybe," he replies, "I'd get to keep all your shit, so there's that. I could sell it I suppose."  
"You think you could get much for it?" The door closes finally, and the train begins to move. She waves at her father until he is out of sight, then she turns to look at Nick. He is examining her suitcases appraisingly.  
"Nah," he determines after a moment, "not even worth the effort of carting them around."  
"Good thing I made it onto the train then." Judy picks up one of her bags and heads towards the back of the compartment.  
"Good thing," Nick agrees behind her, grabbing the two remaining bags, hoisting one over his shoulder to follow her.  
They find the train relatively empty, so they sit halfway down the car, side by side.  
"So…" Nick begins, watching the countryside whip by through the window.  
"So." Judy replies.  
"You seemed upset about leaving."  
Judy looks sideways at Nick, worried he's going to make fun of her for being so emotional. "Yeah, it's pretty normal to be sad when parting from family Nick."  
He shrugs, "I guess so. If that's all it was."  
"What does that mean?" He isn't making fun of her, but she isn't sure she likes his skeptical tone.  
Nick turns and leans down a bit towards her, "Just that it's okay to be wondering if you made the right choice. I get why you'd want to stay with them."  
Judy shakes her head, irritated he's trying to get her to second guess herself, when it dawns on her Nick might only see her choice to leave behind something he doesn't have. Her expression softens.  
"No, I know I made the right choice."  
"Well then, I guess the only thing left to discuss," it's remarkable how quickly Nick can switch tones, going from serious and concerned to flippant and carefree in the blink of an eye, "is what we plan to tell the fuzz tomorrow."  
"What is there to discuss?" Judy asks, "We'll tell them to truth. There's no need to get our story straight if we just tell the truth."  
Nick snorts, and squints at her, "You really believe that?"  
"Of course!"  
"Okay, then do we tell them you found me by driving around until you found the van of a known criminal, who I assume you had to threaten to extract the details of my whereabouts?"  
"Finnick is a known criminal?"  
Nick ignores the question, "I mean, how are you going to explain coming to me in the first place? Why not go to the police with your discovery?"  
"Because I didn't think they'd listen to me."  
"See," Nick looks triumphant, "You don't want that in an official report."  
"What?"  
"That you didn't have faith in the department. That you thought they would ignore a good lead during a city wide crisis. Pretty bad for your career to have that on file."  
"Do you think I did the wrong thing?"  
"What? No, of course not. Us looking into it the way we did was the most expedient option. Plus, going to Bogo might have tipped off Bellwether."  
"Then I'll say that."  
"Sure, that's better, you don't come off like a loose cannon, and you aren't throwing the department under the bus, but is that why you did it?"  
"Well no, we didn't suspect the mayor yet."  
"Right, so how do you explain that?"  
"Carp."  
"Yeah."  
"We do need to get our story straight."  
"Yup. What I don't understand," Nick explains, slouching down in his seat and staring out the window, "is why I need to be interviewed at all. Can't we just do like last time, and pretend I wasn't there?"  
Judy frowns. She hadn't been a fan of Chief Bogo's decision, after the raid of the old asylum where they found all the missing mammals, to omit Nick from the official police account. He'd said it was bad enough a rookie had been the one to find the mammals they'd been unable to locate for weeks, the involvement of a random fox in the investigation could only further embarrass the department. In fact, the whole department had pretty much acted like Nick was invisible in the hours between their initial appearance at the precinct with the evidence on her phone and the press conference the next morning. No one seemed confident they could tell Nick to leave. The cracking of such a major case by the department's token bunny seemed to have thrown the department collectively for a loop, and they all walked around dazed in the aftermath, as if on autopilot. The only exception was Bogo, and Nick had made sure to stay out of his sight at all times. He'd hung around the precinct while they organized the raid, stepping out only to fetch the two of them sandwiches and coffee. Neither of them had questioned for a second that he would come with her, and he'd hopped happily into the passenger seat of the cruiser she selected, leaving Officer Delgato to slide timidly into the backseat.  
But Bogo's insistence Nick be debriefed about the incident at the museum meant there would be no pretending Nicholas Wilde was invisible this time.  
"I'm glad we aren't doing that again. I didn't like it then. You deserve the credit for your part in all this."  
Nick shrugs, "I don't really want the credit. Besides, me being absent from the account of the recovery of all those mammals makes my inclusion now even odder. If I didn't help you find them, then how do we explain why you came to me yesterday?"  
Judy frowns, "This is why lying is a bad idea."  
"No, this is why cops are bad at lying. So, you telling the truth now involves admitting you lied before."  
"I shouldn't have gone along when Bogo insisted."  
"No, he put you in a terrible position, and you were exhausted. I'm not surprised you caved."  
"So what do we tell them?"  
"Not sure, that's what we need to work out." "I thought you'd be an expert at lying to the cops"  
Nick laughs, "No Carrots, see I make a point of never interacting with cops. That's why I never do anything strictly illegal. I mean, when you pulled my tax info, didn't you notice the lack of criminal record?"  
Judy smiles, "Okay, but you are good at lying."  
"I'm amazing at lying, but the key to good lying is to not get yourself into the kind of situation where you have to tell such a complicated lie. I mean, yeah, I could lie my way out of involvement with this case, but the point here is to make sure they can prosecute Bellwether, not get me out of trouble."  
Judy frowns deeply, and slouches down in her seat as well, "I can't believe just telling the truth isn't going to cut it."  
"Life is hard, little fluff."  
Judy elbows Nick in the side, and he glares at her.  
"Careful, you could have hit my bruised ribs.""They're on the other side."  
Nick deflates, "oh, you noticed that."  
"Yeah Nick, I paid attention to where you were injured."  
"Okay, look, don't worry too much about tomorrow. You're a cop again, so you will get to write up your official account, likely get a sense of how the DA wants to proceed, what account other officers are giving, what Bogo is looking for, so you're probably going to be fine. You won't even have to lie, just carefully omit what needs omitting. I'm the one who's going to get interrogated tomorrow. I'm the one who will be grilled on details, on why I did what. So I'm the only one we need to worry about."  
"Then you need to just tell the truth. And if that causes problems for me then so be it. I mean, so what if I have to say I didn't think they'd listen to me about the nighthowlers? That is the truth, and if that reveals unfounded suspicions on my part, or a very real problem at the root of our precinct, then so be it. Maybe that's for the best. And if it comes out you were omitted improperly from previous police accounts, then-"  
"-so be it?" Nick arches his eyebrow at her, "and what if I don't want to tell the truth, Carrots? What if they ask me how I know Duke Weaselton? Or how I know Mr. Big? I'm not looking to get put into a database as a criminal contact, a member of a criminal network. You get that's what cops do, right? Better yet, how do we explain your relationship to Mr. Big? Should I mention we basically had a mobster do our dirty work, threatening Duke with physical harm just so we could get info out of him?"  
"I hadn't even thought of that."  
"You weren't a stickler for the rules Carrots, I don't see why you'd be a stickler for the truth. I'm planning to say, I had seen this Duke selling bootlegs before, and I have a great mind for faces, we went to find him, he was there, and he kindly volunteered the necessary info. Are you okay with that?"  
"I guess so," Judy says hesitantly.  
"You'll have to be; it's what I'm saying. Duke won't contradict if asked, since either way he snitched, and he won't want to bring Mr. Big's name into it needlessly. Neither do I."  
"Mr. Big likes you now." Judy reassures him when she notices the worried look on Nick's face when he mentions the tiny shrew.  
"No Carrots, he likes you, and he has noted your fondness for me. There is a pretty big difference."  
Judy nods, conceding the point.  
"I'm going to say we'd met when you first moved to Zootopia, and had become fast friends. If pressed I'll say you stepped in when you saw me being mistreated by an elephant. Anyway, we were good friends, and you knew me to be dependable. I'd once bragged about knowing almost everyone of note, to impress you. Yesterday, driving in from Bunnyburrow with your new insight about nighthowlers, not sure how to proceed…maybe let's say you doubted the legitimacy of your hunch. That makes it better, like you didn't want to bother the cops with your silly theory. Yeah. So, yesterday, right, driving into town, blablabla nighthowlers, who do you happen to spot but your good friend Nick. You pulled over and asked me for help, and as a concerned citizen and good friend I was eager to help. We hit up Duke, got the info from him with ease, and foolishly decided to check things out for ourselves? Were we drunk?" Nick asks suddenly, glancing at Judy before shaking his head, "No, that makes it worse. Post Dukes is where we really need to work to justify not getting the cops involved. I mean, at that point, we'd confirmed someone shady was collecting the plant for nefarious purposes." Nick shrugs, "We'll just have to plead fool-hearty enthusiasm for the case. We got caught up in solving the puzzle, or whatever. Anyway, we went to check out the Banyan station, and from then on I'd say we can stick to the truth plain and simple. The truth doesn't really need further refining, and I wouldn't want us to try and lie about anything as complicated as what followed our arrival at Banyan. "  
"Okay," Judy was warming up to this idea now. They were only going to simplify the narrative to focus on the relevant events, the criminal actions of Mayor Bellwether.  
"Shit," Nick looks at her with sudden panic in his eyes, "did you give them the carrot pen as evidence, just the way it was?"  
"Yes. It should be in storage right now."  
"Can you get it back?" he asks looking a bit manic.  
Judy frowns, "What is wrong Nick? Why would we need it back?"  
"Because before we used it, in our goddamn cunning plan, I didn't wipe it." Nick looks at her expectantly.  
"Oh."  
"Yeah."  
"Oh no," Judy drops her face into her palms, "so me sobbing my apology and saying I was a dumb bunny is on there?"  
Nick shrugs, as if that is unimportant, "Well yeah, but-"  
"-So what? That's no reason to get it back. It's embarrassing, but there's nothing relevant to the case in it, so it doesn’t actually do us any harm. My coworkers will just laugh at me, and I'm used to that." Judy straightens up, and looks at Nick determinedly.  
"Yeah, who cares about your stupid crying, I'm worried about what else is on there!"  
Judy looks puzzled. "What else is on there?"  
Nick's ears droop and he can't meet her eyes. It takes Judy a moment to identify his expression, as it is so uncharacteristic on Nick, but she realizes with surprise that he looks ashamed.  
"I can't believe I was so stupid. Why didn't I wipe the earlier sections of recording while waiting for them to fetch the ladder? We were stuck in that exhibit for like 15 minutes. God, I am so stupid. I am the stupidest fox to have ever lived."  
"What else is on there, Nick? Were you using it for scams? I mean, you erased your tax confession, so there couldn't be anything else for you to worry about."  
Nick hides his face in his paws, and Judy's jaw drops open in shock.  
"No."  
Nick groans and slides further down in seat.  
"No way, no way," Judy intones, staring at Nick in disbelief, as he uncovers one eye to regard her pitifully, "there is no way you are that stupid. Tell me you aren't that stupid Nick."  
Nick covers his eye again and groans painfully.  
"You didn't erase your tax confession?" Judy can't believe it even as the way Nick's shoulders slump confirms it, "you really are the dumbest fox to have ever lived. Why wouldn't you erase it? Wasn't that the whole point of giving it to you?"  
"Yes," Nick's reply is muffled, his face still hidden.  
Judy regrets her reaction. Nick clearly knows he's been stupid, no need to make him feel worse. She puts a paw on his shoulder, and the fact that he leans into, rather than away from, her touch is indication of how terrible he's feeling.  
"You know, I bet they don't even listen to it. I mean, when they rewind and hear me sobbing, they'll know that was before the museum, and maybe they won't bother rewinding further, as anything before yesterday afternoon would be irrelevant." Judy reassures him, rubbing Nick's shoulder gently.  
"Right, because there's no way a cop'll be nosy enough to rewind further." Nick lifts his head to sneer at her contemptuously, "your crying will only entice them more, they'll think it's all juicy gossip-worthy shit. I bet they catalogue every goddamn minute."  
Judy's fur bristles at his tone, but she doesn't lash out in return, "I suppose that's possible."  
Nick's irritation with her evaporates in the presence of her measured tolerance, and he smiles at her apologetically. "I'm sorry I'm so stupid."  
"It's okay Nick. We all slip sometimes."  
"It's not great for you either, I mean, it's you basically hustling me."  
Judy shrugs, "It is what it is. There's nothing we can do now, let's just try not to think about it. I don't think anything will come of it."  
Nick sighs, and then nods, "I guess there's nothing else to do. I can't believe I forgot to wipe those parts before surrendering it as evidence."  
"I don't understand what possessed you to keep the recording in the first place." Judy wonders aloud.  
Nick wrinkles his snout, and opens his mouth to say something, then shaking his head closes it again. Judy files that away for later. They will be revisiting the topic, but for now she decides it's best to drop it.  
"Let's play a game," Judy suggests, and Nick looks at her like she's crazy, "c'mon, it'll be fun. How about 'I spy'?"  
Nick watches her through narrowed eyes, but doesn't object.  
"I'll start. I spy with my little eye something that is green."  
Nick glances outside, then hazards, "the trees?"  
"Nope."  
"The grass?"  
"Nope."  
Nick sits up straighter and looks around the train, "Is it in the compartment?"  
"We aren't playing 20 questions, Nick. Please limit your questions to guesses of what I might have spied."  
Nick grins at her reprimand, and tries again, "Is it that porcupine's backpack?"  
"Nope."  
"Is it that weasel's beret?"  
"Nope."  
"Is it the piece of lettuce that rabbit is eating?"  
"Nope. And that's spinach, not lettuce."  
"We aren’t playing name that produce, Carrots. Please limit your responses to whether or not you spied the object in question."  
Judy chuckles and Nick continues.  
"Is it…my shirt?"  
"Nope."  
"Is it your shirt?"  
"Nope."  
"Is it the envy I stir in others?" Nick asks, gesturing at his face and putting on his haughtiest look.  
Judy cracks up, "No. I didn't spy envy."  
"Or at least, it isn't what you chose this round."  
Judy smiles at Nick and wonders if it's cheating to have chosen something Nick cannot see. The something green she has spied is his eyes. 

They were approaching Zootopia when Judy raised the issue of Nick's residence again. Nick had been telling her funny stories about Finnick, all of them absent details of their daily business, leaving her only with the sense that their collaboration spanned most of Nick's career.  
"You know," Judy ventures at the conclusion of another tale, "you were wrong by the way. About me having to threaten Finnick for your whereabouts."  
Nick looks surprised, "really?"  
"Yeah. He barely hesitated. I just told him I needed to find you and he immediately volunteered where I should start my search."  
Nick huffs in irritation, "who knew he'd sell me out so quickly? The one thing I thought I could count on Finnick for, if not loyalty, was a strong aversion to snitching. He hates cops."  
Judy frowns, feeling a need to defend the tiny fox, "he didn't sell you out Nick, he helped your friend find you."  
Nick looks at her dubiously, "As far as Finnick knew he was selling me out. He told a known cop, one who'd previously blackmailed me in his presence, where she could find me. And he didn't even need to be coerced." Nick shakes his head in disbelief, "Did he even try to make a profit?"  
Judy shakes her head, "Nick, you are looking at this all wrong. I mean, it was more like one of your friends helping to reconcile you with another friend."  
Nick snorts, "Finnick and I aren't friends, we're business associates."  
"That can't be true. All those stories you've been telling me, about the…'adventures' you get into."  
"People are often friendly with their coworkers, Carrots, but that doesn't mean they're friends. Finnick and I are coworkers; we are together out of necessity. If he didn't profit directly from our working relationship, Finnick wouldn't waste a minute on me. In fact, he mostly can't stand me. He says as much all the time. We are useful to each other and that is it."  
"I can't believe that," Judy argues, "that a partnership that long hasn't led to any fondness for one another."  
Nick doesn't confirm her assumption about the duration of their partnership, "well, it's true. There is no fondness. On either of our parts."  
"Then why did he help me?"  
"I don't know," Nick admits, scratching the underside of his snout, "but he must have some angle."  
"Maybe he knew seeing me again would make you happy."  
"Are you deaf, Carrots? My happiness doesn't matter a lick to that fox."  
"Maybe he thought it would make you more productive."  
Nick's face lights up, "that's it! He had been bitching about how much of a space cadet I'd been. And I may have talked about you, a bit. I bet he thought it would shut me up, get my head back in the game."  
"Sure."  
Nick seems relieved that the world makes sense again, "It still surprises me he helped you out so easily. I guess he's getting soft."  
"Well, to be fair, the way he suggested locations seemed pretty off the cuff, and when I asked for spelling on some of the names he slammed the door in my face. Then he yelled not to come back without at least 100 bucks, or backup."  
Nick smiles, "that sounds more like him." His smiles transforms abruptly into a frown, "locations? Plural?"  
"Yeah. That bridge was actually the third place I looked for you. I was starting to think he'd sent me on a wild goose chase to get rid of me. I mean, why wouldn't he just give me your number? Calling you would be the easiest way to find you. You know he laughed at me when I suggested that."  
"Well that's easy enough to explain," Nick says absently, still frowning, not bothering to clue Judy in. "Anyway, Carrots, I need to know every place he told you to look. This is important."  
"Sure Nick, no problem."  
"Like I need to know his exact words," Nick says seriously.  
Judy pulls her phone out of her pocket, "well I wrote them down, so remembering won't be hard." She pulls up the note she'd created while talking to Finnick.  
"Excellent." Nick smiles and looks like the picture of a sly fox as he rubs he paws together excitedly. He nods at her to start reading.  
"So first he told me to check under the Asungenai bridge, because you sometimes slept there."  
"Napped," Nick corrects, "or at least I did until he found out about it a few months ago. Now I can't relax there like I used to."  
"But that was further outside of town, so I didn't go there first. Next he told me you sometime hang out on the corner of 9th and 42rd. I went there first."  
Nick scoffs, "I haven't done that in years."  
"He said you could reliably be found loitering in the food court of the Sierra shopping center, so I went there next."  
"Hah," Nick looks triumphant, "that was only while I was interested in one of the food court employees! That was like 6 months ago."  
"You lost interest?"  
"Yeah, once she'd agreed to go out with me," Nick admits sheepishly, "I honestly don't know why."  
Judy doesn't care to speculate, and instead continues down the list, "he told me you frequented a bar called 'The Backroom', but he didn’t imagine you'd be drinking at that hour."  
"Accurate, plus I only really go there with him."  
Judy is enjoying going over this list, as Nick feels the strange need to comment on every entry. She wishes she had eight locations more to list, sure he'd reveal even more given the chance. Unfortunately there is only a single entry left to read.  
"He said as a last resort to check out The Cocoon coffee shop near Little Rodentia, and to ask for Eli if you weren't there."  
Nick nods thoughtfully, and Judy makes a mental note, in case she ever needs to track Nick down again.  
"Anything else?" Nick asks when she doesn't list another location.  
"That was it. Obviously I never made it to the last two places, since I found you under the bridge."  
"Obviously."  
"Were you napping?"  
"No, I was just hanging out. I go there to clear my head mostly. I used to nap there in afternoon sun, but like I said, Finnick kind of ruined that," Nick adds resentfully.  
"So you never sleep there at night then?" Judy asks hesitantly.  
Nick glares at her, "Judy we aren't talking about this again."  
"Can’t you just put my mind at ease and confirm you don't sleep there at night."  
Nick shakes his head, "I don't owe you that." Judy looks at him pleadingly, and Nick throws his paws up in exasperation, "Obviously I don't sleep there at night."  
"Good." Judy is relieved, and pats Nick gratefully on the arm. He shrugs her off. Judy bites her lip and wonders if she should pursue the subject further. She really wants to discuss this with Nick, and she worries they won't have a chance once they are back in town. Zootopia isn't yet visible on the horizon, but Judy knows any minute they will round a curve and the gleaming towers of downtown will come into view. She decides to try to help Nick understand her concerns.  
"I just worry Nick. I mean, you tell me you don't have a place of your own, without going into why that is. You tell me that you sleep in different locations on different nights, but you won't say where. Like, what kinds of places are these? Why can't I know where you live? If you can't tell me, it must be pretty bad."  
"Well that's a false equivalency, " Nick says petulantly, looking out the window, "I might just not want to tell you, to be mean."  
"But Nick, I need to know that you are safe and that-"  
"Oh wow, is that Zootopia?" Nick seems to be ignoring her now, and is instead pointing at the mountains they are quickly approaching.  
'What? No. Those are mountains." Judy frowns and looks at Nick, who is pretending to be confused.  
"Are you sure that isn't Zootopia?"  
"Yes! Look, we need-"  
"OH WOW!" Nick yells, pointing enthusiastically out the window again. "Zootopia is so beautiful from this angle."Judy turns to look again and sees he's still pointing at the mountains they are racing towards, the ones to the west of Zootopia.  
"No Nick, it's behind them." Judy knows he's only trying to distract her, but she isn't going to let him. "If you'll just listen for a second-"  
This time Nick just yells nonsense while pointing out the window, causing a bit of a scene. Judy's irritation with him spills over.  
"Nick, this is important!" She exclaims in exasperation, and to her surprise Nick immediately drops his act to glare at her angrily.  
"No Carrots, it really isn't. Look, I sleep where I sleep, and it's never meant much to me. All the good stuff happens when I'm awake. So sometimes, when money's tighter, or I don't feel safe in one place, or I just feel like it because I do, I stop having an apartment, and I go back to living with no fixed address. That's just who I am. I like things that way."  
"But you don't have a home Nick." Judy cannot wrap her head around how that could be preferable to him.  
"And that's my choice to make Carrots."  
"But Nick, that can't be the choice you want to make. If you need mone-"  
"-If you offer me money we are done here Judy." Judy freezes at the threat, and the look in his eyes stops her heart. "I am not poor Judy. I make a decent living. The premise of you blackmailing me was that very fact. I don't know why you have so much trouble understanding I am not someone who needs your help." Nick is speaking quickly, quietly, and Judy has to lean in to hear his terse words. "Do you want to be my friend Judy, or do you just want to save me from my poor criminal life? Because I can tell you one isn't going to work out so good for you. I don't want to be your goodwill mission."  
"No Nick I just-" Judy is horrified, and wants desperately to explain, but Nick cuts her off again.  
"-If you want to be my friend, then you have to accept me for who I am Judy; a very secretive and private fox. Caring about me doesn't give you rights on my life you know."  
"I know that Nick."  
"No, you clearly don't." Nick sighs, and Judy reaches forward to grab his paw, but stops when he gives her a pointed look. "I thought my comfort mattered to you." Nick says after a long moment of silence, and Judy finds herself a bit lost.  
"It does," she says hesitantly.  
"You were willing to try to be less physical because you worried it was making me uncomfortable," Nick explains calmly, the controlled fury in his voice now more of a sad acceptance. He pauses and looks at Judy, who nods in confirmation.  
"You said, and I quote, 'If something I do makes you uncomfortable, I should stop doing it.'"  
"Right." Judy, who'd listened tensely until now, can feel her composure starting to slip. Now that Nick's anger is fading, her guilt at having caused a fight is rising, and it carries tears with it. She fights the prickle she feels in the corner of her eyes.  
"Which it turned out, didn't apply to you being clingy, but it does now apply to your whole obsession with where I live." He pauses again, and Judy nods again, keeping her face calm and apologetic.  
"Okay, so, let's just drop this, and maybe next time I try frantically to change the subject to avoid a fight, you let me do it." Nick looks back out the window, and as Judy studies him and feels tears start to burn her eyes, she thinks he looks exhausted and depressed.  
"Wow," Nick whispers quietly, a moment later, awe in his voice, "it really is beautiful from this angle."  
Judy looks out the window and is surprised to see Zootopia rushing towards them. The sight is as breathtaking as it was the first time she took this trip. Nick leans closer and bumps his arm against her shoulder gently, still staring out the window in wonder.  
This act of tenderness breaks Judy, who turns to bury her head in his side, sniffling and hating herself.  
"Oh shit," Nick's startled tone makes it clear he hadn't noticed her tears up until that point, "oh Carrots, shit, Carrots don't cry." Nick wraps his arm around her shoulders and squeezes her. After a moment Judy finds his other paw patting her ineffectually on the head. Nick isn't great at comforting.  
Judy laughs and pulls away from Nick to look up at his horrified face. "Sorry I'm crying," she sniffles, "it's been a really long and emotional day."  
"Don't apologize, I'm the asshole who made you cry. Damnit. I'm terrible at being your friend."  
Judy shakes her head, still somehow shedding the odd tear, "No I'm the bad friend."  
"No. You aren't. You're just, passionate, and determined, and kind of terrifying," Nick laments, sighing, "I clearly over reacted, again, I just, I don't know, I'm not used to having someone so determined in my life. I want to be firm about certain boundaries with you, but it turns out I am not nearly as laid back as I think I am, and it doesn't take much for me to feel trapped. I kind of panic when I feel trapped. I mean, that was my stupidest attempt to change the subject: 'Look, landscape! I'm too dumb to know mountains are mountains!' I can normally do better when thinking straight, but I wasn't. Being your friend can be kind of overwhelming, Carrots, you're like a force of nature." Nick chuckles, and looks at her with concern. "I'm really sorry I go so mad."  
Judy shakes her head, "It's fine Nick, it's fine. I need to learn to back off sometimes. I'm too damn stubborn and persistent."  
"It's paid off for you so far." Nick says, smiling at Judy.  
"That is true." Judy wipes her eyes, and smile gratefully at Nick, "and thanks for the hug. I needed it."  
Nick grins proudly, and points back out the window at the much closer Zootopia, "Are you excited to be home?"  
Judy shrugs, "I guess. I'm just glad Mrs. Armadillo never rented out my room. I'd hate to have to find another apartment before nightfall."  
"I bet. Zootopia real estate can be a real nightmare," Nick says. "I'd know," he adds after a second, watching to see if she'll laugh. She does.  
"The last two days have been so crazy, it's kind of left me a ball of nerves." Judy muses, pulling a tissue of her pocket to blow her nose.  
"Me too," Nick says, smoothing down the fur on his forehead.  
Judy smiles, "So when we're on edge, we both overreact, just in different ways."  
"Seems that way," Nick agrees with a grin.  
They sit in amiable silence as the train covers the last kilometers of track and pulls into Zootopia's central station. Judy shifts her crutches as she waits for the train to come to a complete stop.  
"You barely even use those." Nick says, frowning at them.  
"I know, I'm actually fine without them. Like, the pain isn't bad enough to warrant their use. But, not using them eventually leads to my wound feeling tight and painful, and then I do need them. But mostly my leg doesn’t really hurt much, so using them feels dumb. They are annoying to maneuver with." Judy hops down from her seat as the train begins to empty onto the platform.  
Nick rolls his eyes at her, standing up beside her, "so then you should use them consistently, whether you need them consistently or not. I mean, the doctor gave them to you."  
Judy shrugs, "They make everything harder." She tries to shift her crutches to allow her to pick up one of her bags. It's awkward.  
"Fine, alright, I'm carrying all the bags then." Nick declares, scooping the bag out of her arms before she can protest.  
"No, Nick, that's not what I meant."  
"No, but it's what's happening."  
Judy smiles at Nick, "Are you sure you can handle them all?"  
Nick snorts, "What, handle all three of them?" Nick bends down to pick up a second bag, slinging it over his shoulder, "I don't know, three is just so very many!" He picks up the final bag and shifts it under his arm, "I don't know if I can carry them all. I don't know that anyone could, not three bags."  
Judy chuckles at his sarcasm as they move towards the exit. "I was just worried, I don't want to exacerbate your arthritis."  
Nick stops on the platform, and glares at her. "Do you want to carry these all yourself?"  
Judy laughs and shakes her head, and Nick starts walking again, leading her through the crowds and towards the street. Judy doesn't notice Nick hand her things off to a yak, who loads them into the trunk, until he's ushering her into the cab.  
"I thought we'd take the bus."  
"Yeah right," Nick replies, sliding into the cab beside her, "I'm not schlepping your crap across town."  
"Grand Pangolin Apartments," Judy tells the driver, who immediately pulls out into traffic. "So you're worried about your arthritis too," she says to Nick, grinning wickedly. He turns to address the driver.  
"We're going to need to make a stop at the river, there's a body I need to dispose of."

Nick pays for the cab once they arrive, despite Judy's protests, and carries her bags inside. Judy finds Mrs. Armadillo in her ground floor apartment, and hands her two cheques. The armadillo eyes Nick suspiciously as she hands Judy her key, but doesn't put words to any of her thoughts. They climb the stairs in silence, and when they reach her floor, she can hear Bucky and Pronk arguing. The sound makes her smile, and for the first time she feels like she is home.  
She unlocks her door and shifts to let Nick in. He takes in the size of her room and the fight vibrating the wall fixtures, and turns to grimace at her as he dumps her things on her single bed.  
"Wow, you live in a shithole."  
Judy laughs, "and yet I've missed this place."  
"I knew you were crazy, Carrots, now I have evidence." Nick smiles at her, and then turns towards the door, "well I guess I'll be off then."  
"Oh," Judy is strangely disappointed. She didn't think someone with no home would be in such a rush to get back to it. "Are you sure?"  
Nick watches her suspiciously, and Judy goes on. "I mean, do you already know where you're going to be sleeping tonight?"  
Nick raises an eyebrow at her but doesn't say anything.  
"Because I thought if you didn't know yet, for today, you could stay here."  
Nick looks pointedly at her single bed, and then looks at her dubiously. He clears his throat. "Anyway, I've got to go, I'll see you later, Carrots." He's out the door a second later.  
"Oh," Judy rushes to her doorway, "Do you want to meet up before the debrief tomorrow? We can head to the station together."  
Nick doesn’t turn back as he walks down the hallway towards the stairs, "Nah. Goodnight Carrots."  
"Okay, bye then," she calls after him, and she shuts the door slowly, feeling rather puzzled. 

Judy is crossing the street on her way to the precinct when she spots Nick opening one of the glass doors. He's wearing the same green button up with brown slacks, and while she can't see from this angle, she'd lay odds he's sporting the same striped tie. She wonders if Nick only owns that set of clothes. She decides not to ask him about it, it would only offend him.  
She calls his name and sprints the rest of the way to the doors. Nick stops halfway in the door, and turns at the sound of his name. His face lights up when he sees her, and he waves. He waits for her still holding the door open.  
"Shall we?" he asks, gesturing for her to go through first.  
Judy laughs, and feels relieved at how genial he's being. She'd felt a tension when they'd said goodbye the night before, and part of her had been worried she'd already soured their easy rapport.  
"I'm sure they won't keep you too long," She reassures him, knowing he's nervous about being detained by cops. Nick shrugs nonchalantly, but she can see the tension in his shoulders.  
"I know you won't let them keep me forever. My worry is they keep you too busy to come rescue me." Nick jokes as they walk across the lobby floor towards Clawhauser's desk.  
"Let's make a deal then," Judy says, just before they get to the desk, "Whoever gets out first comes and rescues the other."  
Nick laughs, "We both know only you have power in this building. I will agree to meeting for a late breakfast after though."  
"It's a deal then," Judy concludes before addressing Clawhauser, "Hello," she points at Nick, "Officer Clawhauser this is Mr. Nicholas Wilde." Clawhauser hadn't been on duty the last time Nick had been in the precinct.  
"Hello," Clawhauser smiles brightly at Nick, who nods back, "you must be Judy's consultant." Nick shoots Judy a puzzled look at that, but Clawhauser continues, "You are both expected in interrogation, I'll take you there." He's out from behind his desk in an instant, and guiding them down a hallway.  
Nick and Judy follow him, Nick keeping close to her.  
"Your consultant?" he whispers as they cross the vast expanse of the foyer.  
Jud shrugs at him and whispers back, "I guess that's what they call regular citizens who help the police solve cases. I mean, you did help me do my job." She smiles at him and adds, "I'm guessing Unwilling Lead isn't an acceptable title."  
Nick still looks uncomfortable with the prospect of any title. After a moment he whispers, with a resigned shrug, "I guess it's better than Informant."  
"You're in here Mr. Wilde," Clawhauser says, pointing at a doorway marked INTERVIEW 2. "Officer Fangmeyer will be in shortly to take your statement. Judy, you'll be talking with Bogo and the DA in number 3. I'll grab you both a coffee," he offers, pointing at Judy, "just a bit of milk," Judy nods, surprised he remembers, "and?" he looks at Nick expectantly.  
Nick blinks in confusion for a minute before clearing his throat, "Oh, uh, a bit of cream, and just a shit ton of sugar. Thanks."  
Clawhauser smiles, "A mammal after my own heart. The sweeter the better I always say." The cheetah heads towards breakroom, leaving them standing alone in the hall.  
As soon as he's out of sight, Nick turns to Judy, and says urgently, "Let's make a break for it while we can."  
Judy laughs and shakes her head, "Come on Nick, it'll be fine. I promise. Fangmeyer's a great guy."  
"Sounds like a wolf name to me."  
"Well," Judy replies, hiding her smirk, "I've never heard him howl, so you know, he likely won't do it during the interview."  
Nick chuckles, and then looks with longing back down the hall, towards the entrance they'd come from. He turns to give her a final pleading look, and then relents, straightening up, and moving to take hold of the door handle in front of him. "Let's get this over with." He says, opening the door, and stepping through it. He turns to look back at her forlornly, and Judy smiles at him reassuringly.  
"You'll be fine Nick." He nods at her and starts to shut the door. "Just don't let them see they get to you." She adds quickly before he shuts the door.  
That gets a genuine smile out of him, and she turns away towards her interview room, hearing his door click behind her. She's nervous to meet the DA, but also excited to get back to official business. She feels at home here in the station, and she knows this is where she belongs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figure Nick saw some Zootopian equivalent of little house on the prairie when he was young.


	5. Nick

Nick spent more than three hours carefully going over the timeline with Officer Fangmeyer. The large bengal tiger, who didn't howl even once, treated the whole affair rather casually, and had absent mindedly waved Nick away when he'd asked if they could take a bathroom break. Wandering the precinct halls, looking for a washroom, Nick had wondered if the tiger would even notice if he never came back. But the thought had been born of curiosity rather than the anxiety that had plagued him that morning. Being questioned by the police, it turned out, rather anticlimactically, was largely boring. His nerves only returned at the end of the interview, when it came time for him to read and sign the official statement Fangmeyer had typed up.  
As he reads through the statement carefully, he notices Fangmeyer giving him a dubious look. He pauses in his reading and raises his eyebrow at the tiger, feeling confident enough to do at least that.  
The tiger looks a little embarrassed, but explains in a matter of fact tone, "I wouldn't worry too much about it, it's not like they'll need your testimony for anything." He shrugs carelessly, "I mean, they won't be calling you as a witness. At the trial."  
"Oh?"  
"Well no," the officer replies, gesturing at Nick with a single claw, "I mean, foxes don't make good witnesses. No point in putting them on the stand. Everyone knows that." The tiger offers this information with no malice, and doesn't even consider this might be news to Nick. And it isn't. Fangmeyer isn't making a value judgement about foxes, but the world, and Nick can't hold it against the cop that he shares his ultimately accurate worldview.  
"Fair enough," he offers, going back to his reading.  
Fangmeyer shrugs, "I don't know why they are wasting your time with this."  
Nick shrugs in return, "Bureaucracy."  
The tiger laughs once and moves to stand, "Listen, I have to take a piss, just leave the signed document on the table when you go."  
Despite the way the entire proceeding had gone, Nick is still surprised the officer is leaving before he's done. He hides this by grinning briefly at the tiger. "Sure thing, buddy."  
"Great." The tiger shoots him finger guns and is out the door. Nick looks around the interview room for a minute, his brows furrowed, when his gaze settles on the reflective surface that covers one side of the room. He wonders if this is some sort of trap. Are they watching him from the other side of the one way glass? _To what end?_  
He shakes his head, dismissing that ridiculous and paranoid thought, and goes back to reading the statement. Finally satisfied it's as accurate as he wants it to be, he signs. He fidgets with the paper while wondering if he really should just leave it on the table as instructed. It seems odd, but he's eager to be out of here, so after another look around the room, and a glare at the one way glass, he leaves the papers on the table and steps out into the hall.  
He makes his way slowly back towards the reception area, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for signs of Judy. Officer Clawhauser spots him as soon as he comes into view, and waves him over enthusiastically. With no other ideas as to how to locate his bunny, Nick approaches the cheetah's desk.  
"Looking for Judy?" Clawhauser asks, eyeing Nick expectantly.  
Nick nods, and the cheetah lights up.  
"I knew it!" Nick doesn't roll his eyes, but it's close. Anyone could have guessed that. "She's still in with Bogo and the DA," Clawhauser continues, bouncing on the balls of his feet.  
Nick frowns, not sure how to proceed. He certainly doesn't intend to hang around the precinct any longer than necessary. Clawhauser is studying him intently while he thinks. _What an odd cat._  
"Listen, can you give her a message for me?"  
"It's practically my job," chirps the cheetah.  
"Tell her I'll meet her at the diner down the street." He'd spotted it on his walk to the station that morning. It looked like the sort of place that would have all day breakfast.  
"You mean Ruby's?" Clawhauser asks cheerfully, and Nick realizes it's likely a cop hangout. That's seems strangely appropriate, he will be meeting a cop there after all.  
"Yeah, exactly."  
"I'll let her know." Nick turns to leave, but stops when Clawhauser continues, "you know, I heard about what happened at the museum."  
Nick nods at Clawhauser benignly. Everyone had heard, it was on the news.  
"I mean, what Bellwether tried to do to you."  
Nick shifts uncomfortably on his feet. That, like his name, hadn't been on the news.  
"By shooting you with the nighthowler serum." Clawhauser prompts, like he might have forgotten.  
"Right, but it was just a blueberry, so you know, no harm done." Nick responds quickly with forced joviality.  
"Right, but what if it hadn't been?" Clawhauser's eyes are wide as he clutches at his heart dramatically. "I mean, can you even imagine?"  
"No?"  
"Oh, it would haunt me. I mean, how scary is that?" the cheetah goes on, "turned feral, so out of your mind you would kill your own friend. That's like something out of a movie. A really sad one."  
"I guess." Nick swallows, and wishes the cat would drop the subject.  
"I mean, I've had nightmares, since this whole thing started, about going savage. I even had a nightmare last night, about Judy being eaten." He peers earnestly into Nick's face, "Don't you have nightmares about that day?"  
_Well now I certainly will._ Nick shrugs, "I'm not much for living in the past."  
Clawhauser's eyes shine with admiration. "Weren't you scared?"  
"Nah," Nick responds, turning away from the reception desk. Of course he'd been terrified. The whole ordeal had been scary, from their high speed escape attempt in a subway car/lab/death trap, to their risky last resort plan to put blueberries in a gun and use a pen to record a confession. Anything could have gone wrong. Bellwether might simply have decided to murder them, rather than strive for a dramatic conclusion.  
"Let Judy know where I'll be." He calls over his shoulder as he heads for the door, deciding that walking away suddenly is an acceptable way to end a conversation with someone as nosy as Clawhauser.  
"Okie dokie," Clawhauser calls back, apparently unfazed by the sudden end of the conversation. Maybe that's how everyone ended conversations with the cheetah.

Nick chose a booth in the back of Ruby's, and sat facing the door. He spent the first fifteen minutes studying the other patrons and trying to flag the ancient waitress for coffee and menus. She eventually brought him both, though not before attending to every other occupant of the small dinner first. He drank his second cup of coffee of the day quickly, as if it might settle his impatience to hear from Judy. More than halfway through his cup two familiar felines walked through the door.  
This was definitely a cop hangout.  
Officer Delgato narrowed his eyes when he spotted Nick at the back, and elbowed Fangmeyer as the tiger slid into one of the booths. The tiger paused and glanced towards the back, nodding at Nick when they made eye contact. Shrugging at his companion, Fangmeyer finished sliding into the booth, his back to Nick. Delgato shot Nick another suspicious look before sliding in across from Fangmeyer, leaning out a minute later to glare at Nick. Great. He'd have this to look forward to all meal.  
He wondered if Delgato resented him for a particular reason, or if he was just suspicious of foxes in general. He thought back to that morning's conversation with Fangmeyer, and wondered what the pragmatic tiger would think of a fox wanting to be a cop. The thought made him smirk sadly. He couldn't believe he had even entertained the idea when Judy had suggested it.  
Watching Delgato leaned out to glare at him again, it occurred to Nick how truly ridiculous the idea had been. No one would trust a fox, no matter the uniform he wore. He imagined himself having to arrest criminals, Finnick even, and the absurdity of it made him chuckle into his dwindling coffee. The server immediately brought the two cops coffee and menus, and spent several minutes chatting with them before walking away with their orders. So they were regulars. Nick made a note to never come to Ruby's again.  
As Nick tried to flag the server down himself for another refill, he watched the two officers talk. Delgato kept leaning out to glare at him, until a laughing Fangmeyer leaned across their table to punch the lion hard in the shoulder. The lion had guffawed and punched the tiger back, and from then on the lion seemed to forget about Nick.  
Watching them, Nick was struck by how loud and imposing the two were. Fangmeyer would slam his fist down on the table periodically as he spoke, and Delgato's laugh echoed through the room. Nick had trouble imagining petite and considerate Judy spending time among those obnoxious giants.  
He finally managed to get a refill on his coffee, when Judy made her appearance.  
He waves to her as she comes in the door, and the smile she's wearing gets even bigger. She quickly joins him at the back, and for a moment it seems like she plans to slide in beside him. After hesitating, she plunks downs across from him instead, and in a moment of insight he realizes she'd wanted to hug him in her excitement.  
"So I take it your debrief went well?" He already knows the answer from the way she's fidgeting in her seat.  
"It went great! Chief Bogo and DA Woodenhoof were both happy with me, and no one questioned the story I told, and," Judy claps her paws together excitedly, "I'm back on active duty next Monday!"  
“Wow, that’s great. What about your leg?" Nick is surprised there’s no concern about her injury.  
"Well," she replies, "I’m back Monday, pending a note from my doctor, but I'm sure I can get someone to sign off."  
"Obviously." Nick knows no doctor stands a chance against the determination of Judy Hopps.  
"So how did it go for you?" Judy asks, picking up her menu. Nick had barely bothered with his, he known what he wanted when he walked in some 40 minutes earlier. He’d only glanced at it to make himself aware of the available options.  
"It was fine. Fangmeyer was fine, though he thought it was a waste of time."  
"He did?" Judy flips the menu over to look at the back, "why?"  
"Because I'm a fox." It doesn't occur to him until after he's said it that he should have lied. He forgets how idealistic Judy still is. He winces as Judy's smile fades, and her features start to come together in anger. "Not like that," he adds, holding one paw up to ward off her ire.  
"Not like what?"  
"Look, Fangmeyer was honestly fine. He was just expressing the opinion, that I share by the way, that the prosecution won't want to use me. Foxes don't play as trustworthy witnesses, at least to the standard jury."  
Judy narrows her eyes at him suspiciously, as if he would minimize experiences of discrimination just to keep from souring her work relationships.  
He absolutely would do that. He thinks of Delgato's hostile looks.  
"Seriously Carrots, he was fine. I felt no hostility or prejudice. He even nodded at me when he came in." Nick says, gesturing at the booth Delgato and Fangmeyer occupy.  
Judy whips around to look, "He's here?"  
"Yeah, seems this place is a regular cop haunt."  
Judy goes back to examining her menu, and says quietly, "I had no idea."  
"Yeah, well I get the feeling they weren't exactly going out of their way to include you."  
Judy sighs sadly, and Nick reaches out to pat her arm, "But you're a hero now. I'm sure things'll be different." Judy perks up at that, and flips her menu over again. "Now make up your mind, I want to order!" He urges her.  
"I can't decide. Do I want breakfast special number 3 or the pancake platter?"  
When Judy looks at him expectantly after a long pause, Nick realizes she’s actually looking for an answer from him.  
"How should I know what you want?" He replies incredulously.  
Judy smiles, "well one of us should figure it out, or you'll never get to eat."  
"Well, pancakes are always a good choice." Nick offers with a shrug.  
"Done." Judy says, turning to flag down the server, and succeeding immediately.  
"It's what I'm having," Nick adds conversationally as the server walks towards them, and Judy frowns.  
"Oh, well in that case, I'll have special number 3."  
Nick furrows his brows, but decides that for the sake of his stomach, he won't ask further questions. Judy orders a breakfast special number 3 and the pancake platter (choosing blueberries over chocolate chips when asked) as the server pours her a cup of coffee. Nick wonders if she orders for them both simply because he’d revealed his intended order or if she sensed the server’s dislike of him. As the server gathers their menus and leaves, Nick thinks it doesn’t much matter.  
Judy drums softly on the table, and grins at Nick excitedly.  
"There's more good news?" he asks as her drumming intensifies.  
Judy nods, "I got you a present."  
"A present."  
"Yup."  
"When did you have time to get me a present?" Nick is more puzzled than pleased. What on earth could she have bought him? Will he have to pretend to like it?  
"After my debrief."  
"So you could have been here sooner?"  
Judy raises an eyebrow at his tone, and gives him a disapproving look. Nick just stares at her evenly, waiting for her to go on. She stays quiet.  
"Well?" Nick Breaks first.  
"Well what?"  
"Are you going to give it to me?"  
"I don't know," Judy admits, eyeing him haughtily, "I'm starting to think you don't deserve it."  
"Yeah?"  
"Yeah. You don't seem very happy about your present."  
Nick rolls his eyes. "Fine, I'm happy about my mysterious present, now quit dragging this out."  
"No," Judy chuckles, "I think before I give it to you, I would like you to say something nice about me."  
Nick scoffs at her, "I think you don't understand how presents work, Carrots. They are not a bargaining chip, you can't make demands. It's not a present if you want something for it."  
"Does this mean you can't think of something nice to say about me?" Judy's eyes are mischievous, and Nick laughs, feeling himself finally relax for the first time that day.  
"Maybe."  
"Come on, you're going to want this present Nick." Judy leans across the table towards him, and Nick decides he can't refuse her.  
"You are the greatest, Carrots." He says simply, but sincerely.  
"The greatest what?"  
Nick shrugs carelessly, "just, in general."  
Judy eyes him skeptically, "well, you need to work on your flattery game, but that'll do for now." She begins rummaging in her pocket as Nick looks on.  
"Good, cause it's all I got.” Nick watches her produce a small unadorned box and place it on the table in front of her, “being nice is not my natural state. Now gimme!” He reaches out to grab the package which she’s made no move to slide across the table.  
Judy slides the box away from his grasp, and chuckles when Nick narrows his eyes. "For someone who wasn’t that into the idea of a present, you seem pretty eager to open it.”  
Nick leans across the table, using his greater reach to snatch the box from her loose grip. “Curiosity,” he explains as he turns the small box over once, before shrugging and using a claw to slice open the top.  
“Impatience.”  
“You say potato,” Nick drawls as he peals back the cardboard to get a look at the contents, “I say - holy shit Carrots! Is this? Did you?” He looks back to Judy, who’s grinning and looking very pleased with herself.  
“Yup.”  
“How did you,” Nick trails off, and then looks down at his present again, sitting safely in a small cardboard box and not the police evidence lockup. “How did you get it?” Before he’s thought it through, he leans forward and whispers urgently, “Did you steal it?”  
Judy snorts and shakes her head, and Nick feels stupid for asking.  
“No dummy, I asked for it back.”  
“You can do that?” Nick asks as he pulls the carrot pen out of box.  
“Sure.”  
“Just like that.” Nick doesn’t hide his surprise.  
“Just like that,” Judy replies confidently before shrugging, “well, I mean, it did take a bit of finagling on my part.”  
“Do tell,” Nick twirls the pen experimentally around in his paw and waves Judy on, “I know you want to brag.”  
Judy ignores his comment, “Well they we going to have to transfer it eventually for analysis. You can’t play a recording off a pen in court. So I talked Clawhauser into talking the evidence clerk, Eevorson, and one of the techs, into doing the transfer sooner rather than later, and with me there to help them isolate the relevant sections of the recording. You know, to avoid the techs wasting time sifting through the ‘hours’ of possible recordings we both know this thing doesn’t have the capacity for.”  
“Nice,” Nick says as he folds him arms over his chest, impressed.  
“Aren’t I? Solving your problems for you like this.”  
“I meant your little lie. My problems? Who is on here crying exactly? Is it me? I don’t think it’s me.” Nick knows from the confident grin Judy is returning that he isn’t fooling her, she remembers his panic on the train.  
“You must be the one admitting to tax fraud then.”  
Nick stops twirling the pen, and sighs, “thank you Carrots.” He meets her eyes and offers her a relieved smile.  
Judy bounces lightly in her seat, clutching her paws together in delight. Nick thinks maybe he’ll be less stingy with his thank yous in the future. They make her so happy.  
“So how’d you muscle Clawhauser into helping you?” Nick asks, looking to give Judy further opportunity to brag. She certainly deserves it.  
“Muscle? Please, that guy is easy, putty in my hands.” Judy replies, getting a little too cocky.  
“Putty in your hands?” Nick raises one eyebrow, and Judy looks sheepish.  
“Okay, he’s putty in anyone’s hands.”  
“Yeah.”  
“Anyway, I told him the pen meant a lot to me, and that I really wanted it back.” Judy pauses, and gives Nick an embarrassed smile before going quiet, starring down into her coffee.  
Nick’s grin widens, “There’s more isn’t there? What aren’t you telling me?”  
Judy chews on her bottom lip before admitting with a sheepish chuckle, “I told him it had a recording of my dead grandmother reading to me on it.”  
Nick gapes at her, shocked, “your dead grandmother?”  
Judy laughs, still looking a little sheepish, “I know right.”  
“I can’t believe you.” Nick laughs too.  
Judy shrugs helplessly, “it came to me in the moment.”  
“Is your grandmother even dead?”  
Judy nods regretfully, but her eyes still dance with mirth, “one of them is.”  
“Oh my god, you’re terrible.”  
“Right?”  
They both burst out laughing again, and Nick pushes the button on the pen, holding it out to capture their laughter.  
“What’re you doing?” Judy asks him as she continues to giggle.  
“Adding to my collection.”  
“Collection?”  
“Yeah, so far on here I’ve got you hustling me, calling yourself a dumb bunny, hustling a criminal with me, and now laughing ostensibly at the fact that your grandmother is dead.”  
“I see, so it’s a collection of my bad behaviour?”  
“No, It’s a collection of things that I like about you,” he replies, winking at her.  
Judy chuckles and rolls her eyes at Nick, “So you aren’t going to delete any of it then?”  
“Nope.”  
“And I take it you plan to keep it?”  
Nick is surprised that’s even a question, “Well obviously, it’s my pen.”  
“It’s actually my pen.”  
“You’ve given it to me twice now.”  
“Both time so that you might erase incriminating audio, not make it your personal recorder.”  
“Doesn’t matter, you gave it to me, it’s mine.”  
“The present was the fact that I retrieved it and you are free to delete the audio.”  
Nick squints at her, “I don’t think that’s how presents work.”  
“You have a lot of theories about presents.”  
“I have a lot of theories about a lot of things Carrots, this is another aspect of me you’ll just have to get used to.” Having finished his cup of coffee, he reaches over to grab hers, dumping its contents into his mug before handing her empty mug back to her. “Like the common ownership of table coffee.”  
Judy gapes down at her empty mug, “Hey! I was drinking that.”  
“Not fast enough. To the greater need goes the resource,” he explains, reaching for the sugar. He nods his head towards the server across the room, “plus she’ll fill you up again when she brings the food.”  
“Greater need?” Judy echoes dubiously. "How many cups have you had today?” she asks, watching him take a long sip from his mug. “Because that was my first," she adds pointedly.  
"Lies! I was there when Clawhauser took your coffee order,” Nick accuses.  
“Oh, right.”  
“Yeah. And, this'll be my...fourth?" Nick guesses, and Judy's eyes widen.  
"Fourth?"  
Nick points at himself and looks at her through lowered lids, "Nocturnal."  
"Right, greater need," Judy nods in agreement.

When their food arrives the server does indeed top up Judy’s mug, and somehow fails to notice Nick’s needs refreshing.  
He makes to reach for Judy's mug but this time she smacks his paw away.  
“I get to have my second before you get your fifth.”  
Nick narrows his eyes and steals a homefry instead. Judy shrugs, probably accustomed to food theft at the family table. They eat in silence for several minutes, both famished, before she clears her throat to address him.  
“So, I was thinking," Judy begins, sounding a bit nervous, "since I have the rest of the week off, maybe you could show me around Zootopia. Like we talked about."  
Nick chews on a mouthful of blueberry pancake, nodding calmly.  
“And I thought we could start after breakfast, well lunch really, given how late it is.”  
Nick swallows, “It’s early for me.”  
“When do you normally wake up?”  
“Around now actually.”  
Judy glances at her phone. "So that first day we met, you'd just woken up?"  
"At the ice cream parlour? Yeah, that's one of my first hustles of the day."  
“So you have more than one,” Judy nods speculatively, carefully nibbling at her toast.  
Nick is annoyed by his slip up, and instead of answering stuffs another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.  
“Wait, does that mean you need to head there soon?”  
Nick shakes his head rapidly. They never sell pawpsicles on Tuesdays, and they never frequent the same ice cream shop consecutively. He won’t be back at Jumbeaux’s Cafe for at least another week.  
He glances at the clock on the wall above the door, “we have time. Finnick won’t expect me for another half hour or so.” And on Tuesdays the tiny fox parks his van in this very neighbourhood, so Nick doesn’t have far to go.  
Judy’s face falls, “So you aren’t free to show me around today?”  
“Nope, I have a lot of business to take care of Carrots. Busy day planned.”  
“And there’s no way you can blow it off?” Judy inquires hopefully, and Nick briefly contemplates spending the day with her, showing her around. It is appealing.  
“Nah, can’t,” he replies instead, pouring more syrup on his remaining pancake, “Finnick’ll be annoyed already at the days we’ve lost. Don’t want to piss him off further. He’s a pain to work with when he’s snippy.”  
“So you contacted him last night to let him know you’re in town?” Judy probes innocently, spreading jam on her toast.  
Nick shrugs at her, chewing on another bite of pancake, smiling at the frustrated twitch in the corner of her mouth.  
Truth is, Finnick didn’t know he was back in town, or that he’d ever left. They worked together on a day to day basis, each day meeting at a designated time and location. In theory, if one didn’t show, the other would assume they were unavailable, and seek alternate opportunities. Nick had a slew of solo cons up his sleeve for such occasions, while he knew Finnick favoured basic larceny in his absence. Though both, in practice, having grown rather dependent on the other, tended to treat such days as vacations, and conducted little business alone.  
Nick wanted Finnick to know he was back in the game before Finnick, who was prone to impatience and impulsive acts, got fed up enough to either come hunting for him, or start carrying out real crimes. The last thing he needed, after the loss of several good work days, was for his partner to get nicked ripping off car stereos. And while the last time he’d disappeared for more than a day Finnick had hunted him down, he could never be entirely sure what the older fox would do. Better to show up and reassure the fennec he was still around.  
Besides, when Finnick did decide to track Nick down on such occasions, Nick paid the price for Finnick’s apparent loss of face for days, stuck with a moody and violent partner who was slow to forgive.  
Nick hums appreciatively as he swallows another mouthful syrup drenched pancakes.  
Judy snorts, “are they that good? Or are you just trying to make me jealous?”  
Nick nods, licking his chops and cutting another chunk of pancake off, “you really should have gone for the pancake platter.”  
Judy laughs and leans forward to spear the very piece he’d just cut for himself, “Why bother, when I can just take some of yours.”  
Nick glares at her and cuts himself another piece, “is that why you didn’t want to order the same thing?”  
Judy nods enthusiastically, “if we have the same thing, you’ll have nothing worth stealing.” She pops the chunk into her mouth and a second later a moan escape her, as she widens her eyes at Nick. “These are really good. Wanna switch?”  
Nick pulls his plate in closer, looking at Judy like she’s crazy, “No way, and I can tell you, you aren’t getting another bite.”  
“Well see about that,” she replies, relaxing back in her seat and seeming to focus once more on her own plate, “anyway, when will you be free to take me around? Do you guys work at night?”  
“We work at all sorts of times,” Nick responds vaguely, because the truth is, there is no predicting the length of their days, and the less Judy knows the better.  
Judy frowns, “Okay, so will you be free later tonight?”  
“Who can say?” Nick offers cryptically, and watches her eyes narrow in irritation.  
“Presumably you.” Judy picks the slice of orange resting on the rim of her plate with her paw, and starts sucking the flesh off the rind.  
“And yet I can’t.” Nick shrugs and reaches for her coffee mug, assuming she’s sufficiently distracted by her orange. She slaps his paw away, clearly still paying attention to her mug, and nods towards the waitress who’s now two tables down from them. “If you want more, you can wave her down.”  
Nick sighs and gives up on further coffee.  
“Anyway,” Judy persists cheerfully, dropping the rind back onto her plate, “do you want to get a drink with me tonight? Celebrate being back in town?”  
Nick is surprised at her continued optimism; most mammals take his vague excuses as rebuffs. But he has learnt over the years it’s useless to make social commitments, as there is really no predicting when his day will end. Especially when the possibly of a pissed off Finnick is real.  
“We’ll see,” he says with finality. He watches Judy turn to look away from him, a deep frown dominating her features. This was often how he lost girlfriends. _No, this was often how he got rid of girlfriends._  
Nick shifts in his seat and pushes his plate towards Judy’s side of the booth. She eyes him skeptically before reaching to stab at his pancakes.  
“I really would like to Carrots, but I honestly don’t know when I’ll be free this week. That’s just how my job is.”  
“Maybe you should get a better job,” Judy grumbles from around her mouthful of pancake.  
Nick leans back in his seat and nods at her, “maybe I should.”  
“But you do want to hang out at some point, right?” she asks quietly, not meeting his eyes, and shoveling more of his breakfast into her mouth.  
“Of course I do.” Nick reassures her emphatically, regretting his habit for mystery. So much of who he is does not facilitate friendship. “I still need to hustle you at pool.”  
“I thought we’d agreed we wouldn’t wager money.” Judy looks up at him, a smile threatening to make an appearance.  
“Obviously I plan to hustle you out of something else.” Nick replies winking, and Judy chuckles, putting down her fork to push her coffee cup towards him.  
In one smooth move he grabs the sugar dispenser in one paw and accepts her mug with the other, and quickly pours several teaspoons worth of the sweet stuff into her mug. Judy blinks in surprise.  
“I’d only meant for you to have a sip.”  
“Oh, my mistake,” he exclaims in tones that make it clear he’d understood her intentions.  
Judy laughs loudly at that and leans across the booth to punch his shoulder happily, “you brat.”  
“Greater need,” he replies, taking a long sip from his newly acquired coffee mug.  
“Fine, so we’ll meet up at some point this week, to be determined. How’m I supposed to contact you? I can’t go looking under bridges every time I want to chat.”  
“That would be pretty impractical,” he agrees, reaching across to slide his plate back towards him, so he can finish the last few bites of pancake.  
“What about your cell number,” Judy prompts.  
Nick stares at her blankly, and Judy’s irritation returns.  
“This secrecy is ridiculous, Nick. You’re not a secret agent.”  
“You don’t know that for sure.”  
“I know that you’re an incredibly frustrating individual.” Judy exclaims incredulously.  
“It’s part of my charm,” Nick theorizes, grinning.  
Judy rolls her eyes, “it really, really, isn’t.”  
“And yet,” Nick trails off, glancing at her and then shrugging. Somehow, Judy understands his meaning.  
“And yet I’m still here?” she voices calmly.  
“Bingo,” Nick says, pointing at her.  
Judy shrugs, dismissing that line of thought, and tries another tact, “so how does one contact Nicholas Wilde?”  
“One doesn’t,” Nick answers frankly, “Nicholas Wilde contacts you.”  
“How does he do that?”  
“I know where to find you when I need to Carrots.”  
The absurdity of his attitude makes her laugh, “and I’m just supposed to wait around.”  
Nick grins smugly, “that’s how it generally goes.”  
“Well that’s not going to work for me. That’s not how friends work.”  
“I’m honestly worth it,” Nick adds flirtatiously, waggling his eyebrows. Judy laughs but continues to wait silently for a real response.  
“I know,” Nick offers after a moment, sighing, “but look, for now, just don’t worry about it, okay?”  
“I guess.”  
“Look, it’s easy. We will have a drink together soon, and you will know about it beforehand. Don’t worry about it, let’s just leave it at that for now.”  
“For now.”  
“I promise”  
“Alright, you are a strange fox, but I suppose I already knew that.”  
“It isn’t a secret.”  
“Just everything else is,” Judy replies, signaling for the bill. She waves Nick off as he pulls a wad of cash out of his shirt pocket, “I’ve got this.”  
“I’ve got it Carrots, I invited you.”  
“You did not,” she argues, pushing his paw back towards his pocket as the server drops the bill in front of him.  
“Oh now she sees me,” Nick rolls his eyes and grabs for the bill.  
Judy is faster, and she continues to hold onto the paw his money is in, keeping it closed. “Seriously Nick, I’ve got this. You should get going before you’re late.”  
“There’s no late, I have time, and cash, I’m not worried about late.”  
“Nick, I’m going to expense it. I mean, you were out this early on police business.”  
Nick abruptly stops resisting, and tucks his money back into his pocket. “Oh, well why didn’t you say so.”  
“I did, clearly. That’s how you know.”  
Nick laughs at her deadpan delivery, and stands to leave, “alright Carrots, it’s been fun, but I better get to the office.”  
“The office?”  
“Yeah, we can’t all be layabouts like you,” Nick snarks, smiling at her a last time before heading for the exit. “Enjoy your week off Carrots,” he calls over his shoulder.  
“I’ll try,” she replies cheerfully, though it’s clear she already doesn’t now what to do with herself.  
He really wishes he had the week off too. _Ah well, no rest for the wicked._


	6. Judy

Two days later Judy is watching a rerun episode of Mousey Povich, wherein the paternity of a tiny hedgehog is in question, when her phone buzzes once and falls silent. Judy pauses her steady intake of carrot chips to reach blindly for her phone, not taking her eyes off the TV screen.  
She'd never been a fan of the show, or the genre, but there'd been a marathon all day, and after listening to it at top volume through the wall of her apartment for most of the morning, she had become intrigued enough to check out the accompanying visuals. She hadn't had anything else to do that day, and she'd thought there'd be no harm in a bit of TV. It certainly provided context for the screamed fights that occasionally broke out next door during particularly controversial episodes.  
Minutes pass before she remembers she'd intended to look at her phone, and when she does she is shocked to discover it is 22:17. Her eyes immediately dart to her solitary window, where the dark sky confirms it is night. How had she failed to notice the sunset?  
Judy glances back at her phone to see why it had buzzed, and finds a text from an unknown number.  
[How about that drink?]  
Judy frowns at her phone as a fight breaks out on screen. She isn't sure whether the fight is because Hubert is, or is not, the father. She turns her tiny TV off to focus on her phone. She smiles as she realizes who it must be. More than a day late, but it seems Nick is reaching out to finally get that drink. She hadn't even been certain he had a cell phone. He'd never volunteered a number before, despite her prompting.  
She wipes the salt from her paws onto her pajama pants and thinks about how to respond. Does she want to go out this late at night?  
She looks around her tiny apartment, littered as it is with evidence of her wasted day.  
"OH GIVE ME A BREAK, THAT TEST WAS SO CLEARLY RIGGED. HUBERT IS THE FATHER, JUST LOOK AT THE RESEMBLANCE."  
"THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S ALL A CONSPIRACY. HONESTLY, YOU ARE THE STUPIDEST MAMMAL TO HAVE EVER LIVED!"  
"SHUT UP, I CAN'T HEAR THE TV!"  
"YOU SHUT UP, I'M THE ONE WHO CAN'T HEAR THE TV!"  
Well that answered that; she definitely wanted to go out.  
[Sure, you have a place in mind?]  
Almost immediately her phone buzzes again. Her smiles grows when she realizes he must have been waiting eagerly for her reply. She picks her phone back up from where she'd put it on her desk to read his reply.  
[You've been back nearly 3 whole days. Don't you have a favourite watering hole by now?]  
Judy chuckles and replies in kind.  
[lol]  
Again, his reply is nearly instant.  
[Of course I have a place in mind :p It's called the Drawing Room, google it]  
A second later her phone buzzes again.  
[I can be there in 5 mins, let me know your ETA]  
Five minutes? Judy doubts she could be anywhere in five minutes, regardless of location. She googles the Drawing Room, and finds it is about a ten minute walk from her apartment.  
[I'm going to need 30 minutes to get there]  
[It's a ten minute walk!]  
[Well I need to get ready first Nick.]  
[:(]  
[It is awfully late to be making social plans. You can't expect me to be ready to go instantly.]  
[OMG you are already in your pajamas aren't you?]  
Judy frowns at her phone. 'OMG' and emoticons seem like something Clawhauser would use, not Nick.  
[Joke’s on you, I never got out of them!]  
[Oh Carrots, that is tragic. Good thing I texted, you clearly need me]  
[Hey who texted who here?]  
[I think you'll find it's whom]  
[I think you'll find I'll be about 50 minutes now.]  
[You will be if you don't start getting dressed. Texting me shouldn't slow the process. It's called multitasking Carrots]  
Judy quickly looks around her miniscule apartment, as if she'll spot Nick standing in a shadow she hadn't previously noticed. How did he know she wasn't already getting ready? She eyes her phone suspiciously even as she stands to fetch clothes to wear. She's buttoning her jeans up when she hears the telltale buzz.  
[Do I have cameras in your apartment, or am I psychic? You'll never know.]  
She types a quick response before sliding the phone into her pants pocket so she can search for a nice top to wear.  
[You are dead wrong, I've been getting ready this whole time.]  
She tries to ignore the vibration she feels a second later, smoothing out her shirt, but curiosity overwhelms her. She fishes her phone out.  
[Wow, you even suck at lying in writing! Hopeless]  
Judy laughs at that, and glances at herself in the mirror. Her fur is a bit rumpled, but Nick is clearly impatient to see her, and she suddenly doesn't care about looking anything more than just acceptable. She decides she'll clean up her messy apartment when she gets home. She grabs her wallet and keys as she heads out the door. As she's locking her door another text arrives.  
[You better be on your way]  
She replies as she jogs down the stairs to reach the sidewalk.  
[I am, I'll be there in about 10 minutes]  
[Great I'm getting sick of typing]  
Judy consults the map on her phone before setting out towards the Drawing Room. She types while she walks.  
[Not a fan of texting, old timer? Or are your thumbs too big?]  
[Haha, still getting used to this stupid phone]  
[New phone?]  
[Yeah, just got it today. So far I've used it to play candy crush and text you. How did I live before this thing?]  
Judy wonders briefly if Nick replaced a defunct phone, or bought a smart phone for the first time. The second possibility wasn't a real possibility, was it? Had he gotten a phone just so she'd have a way to reach him?  
She discards that thought as arrogant, though it remains a nagging suspicion. 

She arrives twelve minutes later, coming around a corner to spot a plain brown bricked building distinguished by a yellow sign announcing in black writing: DRAWING ROOM.  
Entering, she spots Nick immediately, sitting at the bar with his back to her. He’s chatting quietly with the portly badger behind the bar, and they both turn to look as the door slams loudly behind her.  
“There she is” the badger announces cheerfully in a deep voice, and Nick shoots him an irritated look before rising to his feet.  
“Oh, hello,” Judy begins, walking towards the bar with her paw extended for the badger.  
Before she can blink Nick is meeting her mid room and thrusting a cold bottle into her extended paw. He wraps his now free arm around her shoulder and smoothly pivots her in the other direction.  
“You don’t need to talk to that guy,” he says with a pleased smile on his face, “I only do it when I’m out of options. Let’s get a table.”  
Judy blinks and glances over her shoulder at the bartender. “Okay?”  
“Jamie is a low life,” Nick explains mildly, glancing back at the bar as well.  
“No lower than you Slick,” the badger shouts jovially, and Judy feels Nick chuckle as he guides her to a nearby table.  
Judy sits without comment, and when Nick plops his own amber filled glass down onto the table, she finally examines the bottle he’d handed her.  
“Yeah, I got you a beer. I didn’t know what country bumpkins drank, but that was my best guess.”  
Judy laughs, “You couldn’t have just waited for me to arrive?”  
Nick waves that idea away with a paw, “Nah. If you really hate it, I’ll drink it.”  
“Beer is fine.” Judy takes a sip, and is pleased to find it isn’t at all like the cheap stuff Archie prefers.  
Nick gives her an inquiring look, and she responds with a thumbs up. He relaxes back in his chair, and points down the room. “There’s the real reason we’re here.”  
Judy turns to see an appropriately sized pool table not far from their seats.  
“I see. Have you figured out what we’re wagering yet?”  
Nick laughs, and takes another sip of his drink. “I figure we can have a minute to chat before we get into that. Wagers should not be discussed before you’ve even had your first drink.”  
“That your first?”  
Nick glances down at his drink, “Could be.”  
Judy examines him carefully, but Nick appears completely sober.  
Nick gives her a wry grin, “You trying to figure out my tolerance level?”  
“Just how likely I am to win.”  
Nick chuckles and changes the subject, “so, what did you get up today? I know you didn’t leave your house, unless you’re the type of bunny who thinks going outside in pajamas is fine, which I don’t think you are.”  
“I watched a Mousy Povich marathon and ate junk food.”  
Nick’s eyes widen, “I didn’t peg you for a reality TV kind of gal.”  
“I am not. Today was not a typical Judy Hopps day.”  
Nick chuckles, “what is a typical Judy Hopps day?”  
Judy takes another sip of beer while she thinks on her answer. “Well first, waking up just before sunrise.” Nick winces, and Judy continues, “inhaling a small breakfast to get me going, and then getting right to work, whatever it may be. I like to meet the day head on.”  
“Sounds fun.”  
Judy ignores him, “and I typically relax in the evening, you know, read a book, maybe watch a bit of TV before bed. Dramas mostly.”  
Nick grins at her lazily, “I bet you love police procedurals.”  
Judy chuckles, “I’ve been known to watch a few.”  
“Did you love them as a kid?”  
“I did.”  
‘What was your favourite when you were young?”  
Judy sips on her beer as she thinks. Nick impatiently begins listing shows.  
“Was it ‘Blue Bears’? Or ‘Paw and Order’? Or ‘Night Shift’?”  
Judy shakes her head. “Though I did watch ‘Paw and Order’ with my mom a lot.”  
“Me too!” Nick blurts out with enthusiasm.  
“Really?” Judy smiles at the unexpected mention of his childhood. She’s about to ask about his mother, when he waves impatiently at her.  
“Everyone did, but we still haven’t gotten to your favourite show.”  
“Right, well when I was very young, my favourite movie was the Great Owl Detective.”  
“Nobody liked that movie.”  
“I loved that movie.”  
“That isn’t a police procedural though.”  
“True. Let’s see, by the time I was nine, I was really into ‘ZPD Case Files’.”  
Nick shakes his head ruefully, “Of course you were.”  
Judy shrugs, and decides to turn the question around on Nick. “What was your favourite show as a kid?”  
“’Bat: the animated series’, obviously,” Nick answers without a beat.  
“Oh my god, ‘Bat’! I remember watching reruns of the old cartoon after school when I was young. I never much cared for the newer version they played on Saturday mornings. Too angular.”  
“Your generation got ripped off. ‘Bat: the animated series’, or," Nick adds with enthusiasm, "‘the adventures of Bat and Little Wing’, as it was also known, was amazing. Then they rebooted, with that weird version, what was it called?”  
Judy shrugs, “I don’t know, I was never that into it.”  
“Well the original cartoon was amazing.”  
“Sounds like you were really into it.” Judy watches the way Nick lights up as he talks enthusiastically about a childhood passion. It makes him look younger and for a moment Judy can picture him as a small child, obsessing over his favourite super hero. It makes her want to hug him, but she contents herself with listening as he goes on.  
“Oh yeah, I loved it as a kit. It even got me into the comics actually.” Nick leans back in his seat, “I had a pretty good collection. I even still have a few back-” he stops himself short, and looks down at his drink.  
“Back where Nick? Where do you keep comics?” Judy is amused by Nick’s seeming misstep.  
“Storage?” Nick answers after a long pause and another tug at his drink.  
“Nick,” Judy laughs, kicking his foot gently under the table, “you realize it would be easier to just not lie to me, right?”  
Nick laughs in return, kicking her back, “Yeah, I’m not really about easier.”  
Judy rolls her eyes, but drops it. “So you were really into the Bat?”  
“In a big way.”  
“Funny, my favourite shows were always cop shows, and I became a cop. I wonder what it says about you that your favourite show was about a vigilante hero with dead parents and limitless cash.”  
“Maybe I admired the villains,” Nick suggests.  
“No, you wanted to be a superhero, didn’t you?”  
“No way, I wanted to be rich,” Nick denies, downing the rest of his drink. “At most,” he admits after a moment, “I wanted to be a hero’s sidekick. I mean, I don’t know if it was a lack of self-esteem, but I always imagined myself as Little Wing, not the big guy.”  
Judy smiles indulgently, “That’s not odd. I think that was why he was included. Children can’t relate to a brooding bat, but they can relate to his young chipper sidekick. Little Wing was always my favourite when I watched the old cartoon.”  
“Which one?” Nick asks as Judy takes another sip.  
Judy frowns, not understanding the questions. “Which what?”  
“Nevermind,” Nick answers, waving his paw dismissively, “forgot you weren’t that into it.”  
Judy’s frown deepens, “Whatever, all I know is Little Wing is the reason I dreamed for a time of running away to join the circus.”  
“There was a time you didn’t want to be a cop?”  
“I didn’t come out wanting to be a cop Nick. When I was very little I entertained many different ambitions, all of them ‘inappropriate’ for a bunny. And briefly, because of Little Wing, I wanted to run away and be a circus acrobat.”  
Nick nods thoughtfully, then frowns, “wait, miss big happy family wanted to run away from home?”  
“You know Nick,” Judy responds after a moment, glancing at Nick’s empty glass, “just because you’re surrounded, doesn’t mean you’re any less lonely.”  
“I have to disagree with you there Carrots.”  
Judy laughs, “you have to disagree with my childhood pain?”  
Nick grins, “I really do. Because being alone is definitely lonelier. And by the way, you’re talking about the first Little Wing, if you’re talking circus brat.”  
“There was more than one?” Judy asks, considering her only half empty bottle with a frown.  
“Sure, I mean, they tend to grow up.”  
“And they’re only useful as children? That seems pretty crazy. What like, just go get a new kid when one goes through puberty?”  
Nick shrugs, “Or dies.”  
Judy gapes at him, scandalized, “dies?” Then she shakes her head and jumps to her feet, “well on that dark note, I’ll go get us another round.”  
“Shouldn’t you finish this first?” Nick inquires, picking up her nowhere near empty bottle.  
Judy takes it from his paw and tilts her head back to drain it single take. She watches Nick’s eyebrows rise. _Good._  
“Don’t you want to know what I’m drinking?” Nick asks as she starts to walk away.  
“There’s no need for that, since guessing is apparently acceptable.” Judy replies as she makes her way towards the bar.  
The badger spots her coming and moves away from the weasel he was clearly consoling to take her order.  
“What can I get you darling?” he asks in his deep bass, giving her a once over.  
“Another of whatever Nick is drinking, and I guess another of these,” Judy replies, standing on her tiptoes to hand him her bottle. She’s barely too short for the bar, and on her tiptoes, she can lean her elbows on it comfortably. She can see why Nick chose this place. It isn’t build to accommodate mammals much bigger than him.  
The badger glances at the bottle before tossing it blindly into an empties receptacle to his left. He studies her face for a moment.  
“You know, I’m pretty good with fruity drinks. You can ask me for something you might like better if you want.” He pauses a minute, and when Judy stays silent, he goes on. “I told Nick if he was waiting for a bunny he should get something sweet, but you know Nick,” the badger says, gesturing at the fox across the room and rolling his eyes, “never listens, thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room.”  
Judy glances once around the room appraisingly and then looks the badger up and down.  
“In this room, he probably is. Now, how about those drinks I actually ordered,” Judy says in a pleasant tone, giving Jamie a pointed look.  
He blinks in stunned silence, before cracking a wide grin. He steps away to reach into the fridge behind him for another bottle, “I guess you aren’t in the wrong bar.”  
“I guess not,” Judy replies coolly as he opens her bottle and sets it in front of her. He chuckles and pulls a tall bottle of amber liquid up from below the counter, pouring a few inches into a clean glass. He places it on the bar in front of her with a smile.  
“How much?”  
“Oh, Nick’s got a tab going.”  
“That’s nice, I want to pay for these.”  
He nods appreciatively. “Alright, then you owe me 8 bucks for that,” he says indicating Nick’s glass, “and yours is on the house.”  
“Oh, thanks,” Judy says, retrieving her wallet from her pocket, “maybe we can be friends after all Jamie.”  
Jamie smiles and takes the cash she hands him, “I hope so. I have a feeling I want to be on your good side.”  
Judy grins and reaches for the drinks on the bar. She’s turning away when he speaks again.  
“Honestly darling, what’re you doing hanging out with Slick Nick?”  
“Honestly Jamie, my name is Judy,” she answers, pointing down the bar, “and I think that weasel really needs you.”  
He laughs and waves her off.  
She makes her way back towards the table, but it’s empty. She spots Nick standing at the pool table, watching her lazily.  
She heads towards him, and he smiles as she hands him his drink.  
“A double Carrots? You trying to get me drunk?”  
Judy blinks in surprise, before an explanation occurs to her, “I asked Jamie for another of your last, not my fault you’re drinking doubles.”  
“A likely story. I bet you think if you get me liquored up I’ll spill all my secrets.”  
Judy pauses halfway through her first sip. “Wait, would that work?”  
Nick laughs, “Carrots, you’d be unconscious long before you got enough into me.”  
“I guess I won’t try then,” Judy says, gesturing with her bottle at the already racked balls. “Those for us?”  
“Yup.”  
“You figured out the wager yet?”  
Nick puts his drink down on a nearby ledge and hands her a cue, “I thought we’d play one first, so I can get a sense of your skill level.”  
“Smart.” Judy examines the table, which is as tall as her hips.  
“I’ve been known to be on occasion.”  
“You can’t think of anything good, can you?”  
“Not at the moment.”  
Judy smiles wickedly, “I know what we’ll be wagering.”  
“What’s that?”  
“After the first game. I need to see if I even have a chance first.”  
“Then you break.” 

They end up playing two games without wager, during which Judy discovers Nick’s no slouch in pool, and she’s either far rustier than anticipated, or her memories of being decent at pool are complete fabrications. She quickly abandons the idea of a serious wager, and instead proposes the loser pay for the next round. This is never acted upon, as before they can begin a third game, a pair of coyotes approach and ask for use of the table. Nick proposes two against two, and the canines are amenable. Judy heads to the washroom while they rack up, and as she washes her paws she fills her now empty beer bottle with water from the tap.  
She’d developed this trick back in Bunnyburrow, in order to avoid signaling when she switched to water, and effectively how much of a lightweight she was. She’s only feeling tipsy at the moment, but she rarely indulges much past that in public.  
Nick seems so far entirely unaffected by his drink, and she figures it won’t harm him to go a round without her. She decides to grabs him a double from the bar on her way back from the bathroom. Jamie serves her without comment, and waits in bemused silence as she searches for her wallet so she can pay him. Judy’s panic builds slowly as realization dawns that her wallet isn’t in any of her pants pockets, no matter how many times she checks. _How can that be?_  
She glances helplessly at Jamie, who says with a chuckle, “Slick’s tab is it.”  
He walks away before she can argue, and Judy picks up Nick’s drink in a daze.  
Her mind still running over potential locations she could have left her wallet, she turns back towards the pool table, and Nick, who is smiling at her wickedly, gestures for her to hurry back. She walks over to him quickly, already running through the list of what she’ll have to replace the next day.  
“I think I lost my-” she begins once she’s close enough to be heard.  
“-Wallet?” he cuts her off, holding out her wallet triumphantly.  
Judy gapes at him, and he steps towards her to retrieve his drink from her, and slip her wallet into her now empty paw. She blinks dumbly at him while he steps back towards the pool table and the already begun game. She follows him and watches as he takes a sip of his drink. He thanks her and then fills her in quietly.  
“I broke, sunk nothing, and now she’s just taking them down. Two so far. You’re up as soon as she misses, we’re stripes.”  
“When?”  
“Well I don’t know when she’ll miss Carrots, that’s something we’ll find out together.”  
Judy rolls her eyes and elbows Nick, who regards her with a grin.  
“Oh, when did I take your wallet?”  
“And why?” Judy asks, trying not to laugh. She’s not sure she should find this charming.  
“Well I didn’t want you buying the next round, and that seemed easier than arguing.”  
She gives him a skeptical look and he chuckles, “alright it seemed more fun. Plus, you need to learn to be more aware of your surroundings. I mean, you’re lucky I’m the one who took your wallet.”  
“So you were teaching me a valuable lesson about theft,” Judy clarifies, trying to sound disapproving.  
“Yes, which is why I won’t be telling you when it happened,” Nick replies imperiously, turning to watch the female coyote take the shot she’d been lining up.  
Judy shrugs carelessly, giving in to the warm giddy feeling circulating in her blood, and takes a glug of water from her bottle. The female coyote, who her partner calls Deb, misses.  
“You’re up,” she nods at Judy, and Judy makes an attempt at sinking the 13, which fails by a significant margin.  
“You kinda suck, you know that?” Nick mumbles at her as she comes to stand beside him again.  
“I’d noticed.”  
Deb’s partner, a stockier and darker coyote, sinks the 3 before missing the 6.  
“And they do not.” Nick whispers to her before he takes his turn. He manages to sink two balls before missing, and he’s grinning with pride as he walks back towards her.  
“Luckily you have me to carry you.” He says before downing a large gulp of his drink.  
Judy is feeling warm and thirsty, and without thinking she ends up drinking more than a quarter of her water rapidly, not really paying attention to the game. Nick watches her through narrowed eyes, then reaches out to grab her bottle. Judy holds fast, and bugs her eyes out at him, “you have your own!”  
“Let me see yours.”  
“No.” Judy tries to yank the bottle clear from his grip, but Nick has little trouble resisting her move.  
“Just let me see it for a second Carrots”  
“Hey Rabbit, you’re up.” They both freeze, turning to see the coyotes watching them.  
Nick let’s go of her bottle and she moves towards the table, gauging her best move.  
“Go for the 12,” Nick instructs her.  
“Don’t tell me how to play,” Judy replies, voice full of mock defiance. After a moment she turns to face Nick, but he’s gone. When she spots him he’s nearly at the bar, his half full drink abandoned on a ledge by the pool table.  
Judy shrugs and turns to go after the 12. Miraculously she sinks it, and immediately begins jumping around excitedly. She stops when she notices the coyotes exchanging looks. She feels inordinately proud, and is disappointed Nick isn’t there to see. As she considers her next shot, she wonders if she could wait for his return; maybe his advice was good luck. She glances as the bar a final time, where Nick is still in conversation with Jamie. Judy resigns herself to failure, and selects the 9 as a target. She ends up scratching.  
Nick arrives holding a small tray as the male coyote is placing the cueball on the table.  
“Nice shot,” he teases Judy.  
Judy resists the urge to stomp her foot, “I sank one! Before the scratch I mean.”  
Nick looks surprised. “You did?”  
“Yeah, so now we’re tied, you’re welcome.” She responds haughtily.  
“We aren’t tied, I sank two on my turn,” Deb explains, pointing at the table where her partner is lining up a shot with the 7. It, along with the 2, are the only solids left on the table. “You needed to sink three on your turn if you wanted to be tied.”  
“Well, either way, we should celebrate,” Nick announces, holding out the tray, which holds four full shot glasses.  
The coyotes seem pleased, and the male immediately abandons his cue to come partake. Nick hands Judy hers last, and says quietly, “unless you’re done for the night Carrots?”  
Judy ignores him and sniffs the shot, “ugh, tequila, why?”  
Nick chuckles and replies, “because I’m cruel.” He turns to the coyotes and raises his glass, “to sucking at pool.”  
They all drink in sync, and Judy holds back a cough as it burns her throat.  
“You sure this isn’t turpentine?”  
Nick laughs and rolls his eyes, “you’ve never tasted turpentine.”  
“I still know that was about the worst tequila I’ve ever tasted.”  
“Oh certainly,” he agrees, handing her a tall glass of ice water she hadn’t previously noticed.  
She accepts it with a grateful nod. “And where was the lemon and salt? Isn’t that traditional with tequila?” she asks before taking a sip. The water has lemon slices floating in it and it tastes significantly better than the tepid liquid she’d been drinking out of her beer bottle.  
“Those are for if you want it to be pleasant. We’re about to lose.” Nick tells her, pointing to where the male coyote has just sunk the 2. They watch as he lines up the relatively simple shot for the eight ball.  
“Awesome Steve,” his partner encourages, “you’ve got this.”  
“I bet you don’t,” Judy argues, feeling defiant. Nick snickers beside her, and that’s encouragement enough. “You can’t do it Steve, you should probably forfeit now.” At this ‘Steve’ laughs too, and Judy goes on, “I mean, you are very bad at pool. Everyone says so.”  
She can feel Nick’s laughter rumbling through her chest, and it adds to the warm feeling there. When she doesn’t go on he nudges her, and she looks up at him puzzled.  
He’s sipping thoughtfully at his amber drink once more. “I think I want to get us more shots. Thoughts?”  
“I may be game, if you can guarantee they won’t be as horrible.”  
“They will be exactly as horrible. In a way, it’s better if they’re - oh my god, he just missed.” Nick is pointing excitedly at the table, where the male coyote is starring in shock at the still present eight ball.  
“No way,” Judy gasps.  
“Oh wow Carrots, your trash talking was super effective.”  
Judy laughs, “everything I do is super effective.”  
Nick laughs at that and walks towards the table, ready to take his turn.  
Judy surveys the table with renewed optimism that is short lived. There are 4 striped balls left on the table, and not a single solid. Unless Nick manages to sink 5 balls this turn, they are certainly losing.  
“Come on Nick!” Judy encourages anyway, expressing thoughts as they occur to her, “you’ve got this! Maybe. I mean, probably not, but, maybe!”  
The fox turns to shush her, “if you make me laugh, I’ll definitely miss.”  
Judy nods silently, and watches earnestly as Nick lines up his first shot. He sinks the 14, and turns to grin at Judy.  
She gives him a silent thumbs up, bouncing happily, and he laughs. “Cut it out.”  
“What? I didn’t even say anything!” Judy exclaims defensively.  
“Yeah, but you’re making me laugh,” Nick answers, turning his back to her to select another target. Judy glances at the pair of coyotes. Deb is watching Nick intently, and Steve still seems a little dazed as he nurses his drink and stares at the ceiling.  
Nick whoops loudly, and Judy knows he’s sunk another ball. She watches him puzzle out his next target. After a moment he calls to her, “I don’t know what to do.”  
Judy ambles over to lean against the table, “What’re you thinking?”  
“I’m thinking if I don’t win this now, we will lose. Deb is much better than her boyfriend. She moves without hesitation.”  
“Yeah obviously,” Judy replies with confidence, though none of that had been obvious to her, “I meant, what were you thinking of hitting first.”  
Nick rolls his eyes, “I was getting to that. Either the 10 off the back, or the 13 off the side. But I’m not confident in either.”  
“Leave the 13 for last,” Judy pronounces with authority, backing away from the table.  
“Why?” Nick asks, watching her closely.  
Judy is aware of the Deb shifting impatiently, “you wanted my input, and that’s my advice.”  
Nick shrugs and turns to line up the shot. He’s grimacing as he takes it, and only blinks in disbelief when the 10 drops gently into the corner pocket.  
Judy cheers loudly, and pats Nick on the back. “See, I told you.”  
“This is the tensest game I’ve played in a long time,” Nick confides as he stares at the 13.  
“We really are rallying late in the game,” Judy comments, taking another sip of her water.  
“Must be the tequila,” Nick comments, and Judy wrinkles her nose at him. “I get better as I drink,” he explains placidly, before adding, “until I get worse.”  
Judy chuckles and Nick squints at her for a moment, before turning back to the table. He casually hits the cueball, sending it towards the 13 with none of the requisite speed, where it just kisses the ball and stops.  
Judy frowns at him, “What was that? You somehow drink way more when I wasn’t looking?”  
“I decided to put my faith in you Carrots,” he tells her mildly.  
“How’s that?”  
“I knew I couldn’t make it, so I instead put the cueball where it’ll do her no good,” he explains, nodding at a scowling Deb, who is now pacing beside the table.  
“I see.”  
“I figure if you use your super effective trash talk, she’s sure to miss, and then you can win us the game.”  
“That’s a pretty big long shot Nick.”  
Nick shrugs, “We should have lost by now. All we’re doing is delaying the inevitable.”  
“That doesn’t actually sound like faith in me,” Judy mutters.  
“Hush, she’s about to take her shot. If you’re going to try to spook her, you better do it soon,” Nick urges, pushing her towards where Deb is standing.  
Judy doesn’t really want to try to distract Deb, who is bent over lining up a shot, but Nick looks so enthused that she decides there’s no harm in trying. She says the first thing that pops into her head, “Hey Deb.”  
Deb turns to look at her, a little annoyed. This almost silences Judy, but she decides she can’t make it more awkward.  
“Yeah, that’s right, I know your name.” She utters lamely, looking around helplessly. She sees Steve try to stifle laughter as he makes eye contact with Nick. “That’s right, I figured it out! I mean, your name probably isn’t Deb, it’s probably Deborah, or, well, actually that’s the only name I can think of that would be shortened to Deb.”  
Deb no longer looks annoyed, but puzzled as she straightens to stare at Judy. Nearby she can hear Steve’s muffled laughter.  
_Is this working?_ “And I should know about names that start with D which might be shortened to Deb, cause I have 13 siblings with names that all start with D, though only one of them actually has the nickname Deb, and that’s my sister Deborah. Which I guess is why I think your name is Deborah?”  
Deb looks at Nick incredulously, “Is she crazy?”  
Nick chuckles, “maybe.”  
“What’s wrong, can’t handle my trash talking?” Judy asks loudly, barely keeping a straight face, “If you can’t stand the heat, don’t, don’t be in it.”  
At this, Deb starts laughing, “you are terrible at this.”  
“Or am I great at it?” Judy answers the much taller mammal, smiling brightly.  
“How much did you give this bunny?” Deb asks Nick as she turns back to line up her shot.  
“The right amount, clearly,” he answers, nudging Judy with his elbow.  
Judy winks at him and watches silently as Deb lines up her shot, chuckles, stands up again to calm herself, and then starts laughing again.  
“Ridiculous rabbit,” she mutters before leaning back down, and in one fluid motion hitting the cueball with a loud crack. They all watch attentively as the ball careens around the table, banking twice before sinking the eightball and spinning away, without ever touching the 13.  
Nick whistles appreciatively and strides forward to shake Deb’s paw. “Okay, that was impressive. You were taking it easy on us before.”  
Deb shrugs, “just being sporting.”  
“She likes to give me a chance to participate,” Steve clarifies, walking over to start emptying pockets.  
“Well thanks for the game, but I think we’ll leave you two the table for now,” Nick says, gathering his drink from the ledge he’d left it on.  
“No, thank you,” replies Steve, turning to shake Nick’s paw, “it was nice to win for a change.”  
Nick walks swiftly towards the bar, reaching into his shirt pocket.  
Judy nods at both coyotes before grabbing her water. Steve stops her before she goes.  
“That was smart, making me laugh like that. You’re funny.” He smiles at her, and Judy thanks him before following Nick to the bar.  
When she arrives Nick hands her a shot glass and then picks one up himself. Judy notices Jamie is holding one as well, and there is change on the bar between them. Nick smiles at her hesitantly, and when she grins back he beams. He raises his shot, “To unconventional trash talk!” Judy downs her drink quickly, and catches Jamie’s puzzled look.  
Nick hands her a fresh water and then steers her away from the bar. They reclaim the table they’d originally occupied, and Judy notices Nick’s new glass is half as full.  
“No more doubles?”  
“No,” Nick chuckles, glancing down at his drink, “I’m done for the night.”  
“Are you drunk?” Judy is fairly certain she is, and if not, she will be once that last shot hits her bloodstream.  
“No, but you are,” Nick responds happily, “and you tried to pretend you weren’t a cheap drunk.”  
“I’m not a cheap drunk!” Judy argues, puffing out her chest.  
Nick’s eyebrows shoot up, “Carrots, you’ve had a grand total of four drinks this evening.”  
Judy sighs loudly, “yeah, okay, but don’t think this means I was wrong about Bunnyburrans.”  
Nick shakes his head, “Oh no, I believe you are the exception, not the rule. Why else would you have the instinct to hide your water intake and pretend you were keeping up.”  
Judy tilts her head to the side, “how did you know it was water?” No one back home ever questioned the contents of her beer bottle.  
Nick leans towards her, eyes serious, “because I’m able to see right through you,” after a beat he cracks a smile and leans back, “also, I’ve done the same myself on many occasions. I mean, not that exactly, but the principle is the same.”  
“Really?” A thought occurs to Judy and she lunges forward to grab Nick’s glass and drink from it before he can stop her. She registers too late that he doesn’t even try. The taste is strong and she coughs as she slides the glass back across the table, “never mind.”  
Nick laughs at her, “well I’m obviously not doing it now.”  
“Obviously,” Judy agrees as she gulps some water to wash the taste out.  
“I’m not trying to hustle you, or impress you Carrots, I’m just having fun,” Nick says before frowning, “actually, that’s inaccurate. I am trying to impress you, I just know being good at drinking isn’t the sort of thing likely to impress you.”  
“You’re trying to impress me?” Judy asks, surprised.  
Nick turns both his paws palm upwards, “obviously Carrots. I want you to keep thinking I’m worth having around.”  
Judy smiles fondly at him and Nick looks down as his drink with mild alarm, “damn, I may be more intoxicated than I thought.”  
“Hah, now who’s a cheap drunk?”  
“Still you.”

Nick nurses his drink slowly, while Judy ends up drinking three glasses of ice water over the course of the next half hour, with predictable consequences. On Judy’s way back from the restroom, watching Jamie interact with other customers in the relatively empty bar, she wonders if Nick is a regular.  
“You come here often?” Judy asks as she regains her seat at their table.  
Nick, who was playing with his phone and clearly hadn’t noticed her approach, looks stunned and then laughs. “You know that sounds like a line.”  
“It does not.”  
“It does too. And I’m not nearly drunk enough.”  
Judy rolls her eyes and presses on, “Do you come to this bar a lot?”  
“Not really.”  
Judy frowns at the unexpected reply. After a moment she prompts, “the bartender seems to know you pretty well.”  
Nick chuckles, “you are always in detective mode, aren’t you? Yeah, I know Jamie, but I’m not a regular here. He bartends at a few different places, which are always changing.”  
“Why?”  
Nick shrugs, “for a lot of reasons I assume, but certainly at least in part for the same reason I follow him when he quits or gets fired.”  
“Which is?”  
“He gives me, and likely others, a great discount.”  
“Oh, are you friends?”  
Nick laughs, “no, not at all. I met him through Finnick. He’s an acquaintance at best.”  
“Then why does he give you a discount.”  
“He knows me, and he knows I’m discreet and tip well,” he explains simply.  
Judy frowns, “If you tip so well, how does that save you money?”  
Nick looks at her incredulously for a moment, and then shrugs, “doesn’t matter. Point is, I drink where he serves, when I drink, if possible.”  
“But you aren’t friends?”  
“Nope. You know Carrots, as a rule of thumb, you should probably just assume mammals you meet aren’t my friends.”  
“Even when you’re friendly?”  
“Even then. Especially then.”  
Judy shakes her head at Nick, “Don’t you get tired of being disingenuous?”  
Nick rolls his eyes, “I’m not disingenuous Carrots, just realistic. I like Jamie, and we joke, but I don’t fool myself into thinking we are somehow friends. Because we aren’t. That doesn’t make our chats disingenuous, just, shallow.”  
“Well don’t you get tired of being shallow?” Judy probes.  
“No.” Nick replies with a smirk. A second later he covers a yawn with his paw, and widens his eyes at her, “I guess it’s time to call it a night, hm?”  
Judy realizes she’s rather tired herself. “Sure,” she agrees, getting unsteadily to her feet.  
She insists on saying goodnight to the two coyotes, and the badger behind the bar. Nick indulges her while grumbling about sentimental rabbits.

Out in the night air, Judy turns to Nick, “well I've got to hand it to you Nick, you do know how to show a girl a good time. That was fun.”  
“It was,” Nick smiles, “maybe we’ll even do it again, if you’re lucky.”  
“No point in playing coy now Nick, I know you’re just dying to impress me.”  
Nick’s eyes narrow in irritation, much to Judy’s delight. She decides to never stop bringing it up.  
Judy does her best impression of Nick, “Oh, I hope she thinks I look cool playing pool.”  
“Whatever,” Nick huffs petulantly, “you were the one who was so desperate to hang out last time.”  
“Well yeah,” Judy agrees cheerfully, _and you’re the one who bought a phone_ , “but I’m an overly emotional bunny, so it doesn’t embarrass me at all to admit I want you to like me. It’s sort of implied by the fact of the whole friendship thing, you know.”  
Nick stuffs his paws in his pockets, wrinkling his snout in discomfort, and nods towards her apartment. “So, should I walk you home?”  
Judy smiles wickedly at his attempt to change the subject, “well, I suppose if you’re really that eager to keep hanging out with me, I’d have to accept.”  
Nick rolls his eyes at her, “I shouldn’t have made it a question. Come on Carrots, let’s go.” He starts walking down the street without her and Judy chuckles as she catches up.  
They find themselves bumping into each other frequently as they descend the block, and Judy isn’t sure which one of them is failing to walk in a straight line, but she’s beginning to suspect it’s her from the puzzled and then irritated and then amused looks Nick gives her.  
He reaches out to grab her shoulder with his paw, steadying her. He sounds amused, “you’re actually drunk, aren’t you?”  
“Nooo.” Judy argues, not entirely sure herself.  
“Yeees,” Nick imitates, laughing. Judy doesn’t mind, as he squeezes her shoulder fondly. It seems to amuse him to believe her drunk, so she decides not to correct him. Also, there’s a small chance he has accurately assessed her condition. “How’s your leg doing Carrots?” Nick asks as they turn a corner.  
“My leg?” Judy wrinkles her nose in confusion, stopping abruptly.  
Nick, who nearly trips when she suddenly stops walking, watches her with concern. “The one you injured,” he hints.  
“Oh yeah, right, it’s fine.” Judy dismisses, smiling at the fox. He seems to have gotten taller over the course of their walk, and she considers mentioning that, but is sure he’d only use it as further evidence she is intoxicated.  
“Well that’s good,” he offers, using the paw still griping her shoulder to get her to start walking again. As they turn a corner, Judy feels a bit like a shopping cart with a sticky wheel being unexpertly steered down the street. The thought causes her to start giggling, which makes Nick laugh.  
“Oh my god, are you getting more intoxicated as we walk? How is that possible?”  
“So I’m a bit tipsy Nick, get over it.” Judy rolls her eyes and gestures emphatically, “I’m not denying it, it’s an established fact.”  
“Yeah it is.” Nick’s tone is more amused than she cares for.  
“So I will not be further teased about it.” Judy declares imperiously, turning her nose up at Nick comically.  
“You think you decide when the teasing stops? That’s not how this works Carrots. I plan to go on at least until we get you home.”  
“Oh no,” Judy laughs, staggering into Nick beside her, “it’s what I’ve always feared.”  
“I know, that’s exactly why I got you drunk.”  
Judy laughs, “now that’s a lie.”  
Nick smiles, “obviously, I wanted to see what you’d be like.”  
“Curiosity is always the answer with you.”  
“I hadn’t planned to,” Nick explains sheepishly, “I got those shots for other reasons, but when you started trash talking that coyote in such a goofy way, it occurred to me drunk Judy might be adorable, and I needed to see that.”  
“Adorable?” Judy frowns at Nick, puzzled.  
“Oh I’m sorry, is this where we pretend you weren’t being adorable? Cause I’m not sober enough for that at the moment. I know I can’t call you cute, but damnit, sometimes you do things that just are. It’s not my fault.” Nick glares at her defiantly, daring her to be offended. Judy isn’t.  
She pats Nick on the arm, “Nick, you can think the things I do are cute.”  
Nick looks puzzled, “Well I know I can, I just wasn’t sure you knew I could.”  
“I get the distinction Nick. And it’s not like I really require political correctness of you. You call me Carrots.”  
“Fair point,” Nick admits.  
“Besides, sometimes you do things I think are cute.” She thinks of the way his face lit up with excitement when he talked about his comics.  
Nick waves her away, “none of that.”  
Judy laughs and bumps her shoulder into his side affectionately.  
“And let’s be clear Nick, you didn’t get me drunk, you helped me get me drunk.” She thinks of the careful way he checked in with her at each shot, and the constant supply of water.  
Nick nods thoughtfully, “right, yeah, that is what I did.” A relieved smile appears on his face, and Judy beams back.  
“I mean the idea that you were ever in a position to influence me is simply absurd.” Judy announces, allowing herself to stagger into Nick comically. He laughs.  
“I’m far too powerful to be manipulated by the likes of you,” she goes on theatrically, suppressing a chuckle.  
“Clearly.” Nick agrees.  
“In fact I’m so compelling, that when I ask you, in a moment, where you are sleeping tonight, you’ll confess without hesitation.”  
Nick laughs, “is that so?”  
“It is. You’ll be surprised at your own candour, obviously, but you’ll spill the beans nonetheless.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Sure any minute now, I’ll ask. You’ll see.”  
Nick chuckles and steers her around another corner.  
“Do you want to have lunch tomorrow?” Judy asks instead.  
Nick smiles gratefully at her, “I’d really like to Carrots, but we start before noon tomorrow, and I really don’t know when we’ll be done.”  
Judy is unfazed by this information, “So Saturday then?”  
“We work Saturdays, and Sunday’s too.”  
“You do?”  
“Yeah, I mean, there’s a lot of money to be made on the weekend.”  
“Then which are your days off?” Judy inquires.  
“Days off?” Nick gives her an incredulous look, “I don’t take days off.”  
“You work every single day?” Even back on the farm there was downtime, like after the sun set, and most Sunday afternoons. And she’d been under the impression that city folk were more prone to days off, with the ZPD officers working only 4 days a week.  
Nick shrugs, “there’s always money to be made.”  
“Always?”  
“Life’s a hustle.”  
Judy rolls her eyes at that sentiment, “I think maybe you just don’t have a life.”  
Nick laughs, “Hustling is my life. And let’s not pretend you aren’t just as defined by your work. You can’t wait to get back to police work. I know you’re already planning to bully a doctor into signing whatever paperwork you need signed.”  
“That’s different,” Judy protests, even as she remembers how depressed she was after she’d quit the force.  
“Why, because your job is legit and mine isn’t?” Nick’s tone is light and playful.  
“So we’re just a couple of workaholics?” Judy concludes with a frown.  
“Yup.”  
Judy contemplates that thought in silence for a moment, then addresses Nick again, “so I guess making social plans will never be a simple thing with you.”  
“Likely, but hey, cheer up, you do have my number. Now you don’t have to wait for Nick Wilde to contact you. You are one of the lucky few. You know where to reach me 24/7.”  
“That’s true.” Judy smiles.  
“And, it’s not even a burner, so that’ll be my number for the foreseeable future.” Nick explains happily, and Judy realizes with some surprise that Nick is accustomed to using burner phones.  
“So anytime I want to get a hold of you,” Judy begins.  
“Just call or text me. I can’t guarantee I’ll respond right away, but I will get back to you eventually.”  
“Good to know,” Judy grins and nudges Nick with her elbow, “you just got less mysterious, and look at that, I still want to hang out with you.”  
Nick laughs and steers her to the left, across the street. Judy thinks about how much easier it is to focus on conversation when someone else is taking care of navigation. She’s lost sense of where her apartment is, and isn’t at all concerned.  
“So now I just need to figure out where you are crashing tonight.”  
“I have to retain some mystery.”  
“Yeah, it just bums me out to think you don’t have a home.” Judy admits in a tone that doesn’t convey any of the actual concern she normally feels.  
Perhaps because she’s cheerfully intoxicated, or perhaps because he is mellowing on the topic, Nick reacts to this statement with an sympathetic nod, “I know.”  
“It’s not normal to not have a home. It worries me.”  
“I know.”  
“I mean, who chooses to not have a home. It’s weird!” Judy can’t seem to stop herself at this point, and has trouble convincing herself there’s any danger in the topic. She’s in the right.  
“I know.” Nick replies calmly, stopping in front of a building she abruptly recognizes as her own. They enter the foyer and she eventually manages to fish her keys out of her pocket and open the main door.  
“You know,” she admits with little thought, “I even asked for a two bedroom when I moved back in here.” She glances back briefly to watch him follow her into the stairwell, an attentive look on his face. “Just so I’d have a guest room,” she explains, her back to him once more as she climbs the first flight, “so I could offer it to you if you needed it. But there weren’t any available.”  
They continue their ascent silently in the aftermath of her statement, and it occurs to Judy that was an embarrassing thing to admit to. She suddenly feels very foolish and presumptuous. She must seem like some kind of meddling, lonely, loser; so eager to involve herself in a new friend’s life. What if he didn’t even think they were friends? He said she should assume he wasn’t friends with most mammals, especially those he was friendly with. What if he was finally realizing how weird she was, and preparing to abandon his newly acquired phone?  
They exit the stairwell onto her landing, and her mounting despair makes her movements feel as though they are occurring underwater. How did she so suddenly get bummed out? She’d been feeling invincible only a moment earlier, on the street.  
“That was really sweet of you.” His soft voice startles her as she struggles to unlock her unit door. She turns to look at him, and he’s smiling fondly at her, and her sudden insecurity melts. Why would he bother with any of this if he didn’t think they were friends?  
“Yeah?”  
“Yeah, it was. And look, I get it, and, to make you feel better, I’ll go crash with Finnick for a few weeks.”  
“Really?” Judy stands dumbfounded in her doorway, leaning heavily on the door frame.  
“Really. He’ll be grumpy about it at first, but he won’t say no. Plus we’ve got this job coming up that probably would have necessitated it anyway. So you don’t need to worry, okay?”  
Judy beams, pleased she knows Nick will be staying in a fixed location, at least for the next little bit, and yawns.  
Nick raises his eyebrows, “Well that was timely. On that note Carrots, I’m going to take off.” After a beat he reaches forward and ruffles the fur between her ears, causing her to slump further into the doorway.  
Judy laughs and he sighs, and then he’s halfway down the hall before she can blink.  
“Goodnight,” he calls over his shoulder before disappearing into the stairwell.  
“Niiiight.” She yells after him, waiting a moment in her doorway, listening to the retreating sound of his paws on the stairs, and then she turns towards the cozy darkness of her apartment, closing the door softly behind her.


	7. Nick

The next day, Nick is sitting beside Finnick in his van, parked on a small side street adjoining City Hall, waiting for the capybara working the Tourist Information booth to go to lunch, when he gets a text from Judy.  
[I’m bored.]  
He grins and replies immediately, a plan beginning to form in his mind.  
[Want to grab a quick lunch?]  
He sends the text off, then turns to look at Finnick, who is cleaning his teeth with a toothpick and glaring at passersby.  
“Think we could switch today? I mean, you man the booth while I keep an eye on our friend.”  
Finnick frowns in confusion, pulling the toothpick away from his sharp teeth “but you’re the better salesman.”  
“That’s true.” Nick agrees.  
“I can’t pull half the registrations you do.”  
“This could be an opportunity to improve your skills.” Nick pitches, smiling brightly at his partner, who scowls back.  
“Let’s just stick to the game plan,” Finnick replies in a tone that speaks of finality, turning back to watch their target.  
Nick shrugs, and considers dropping the matter. The truth is, he is better at selling people, and he makes more of the hour or so they have in the booth while the attendant is away. It had been an impulsive but ultimately silly idea.  
“You got it buddy.”  
His phone buzzes in his pocket, and he pulls it out to check for her reply.  
[Yes please! I’m not just bored but starving!]  
He frowns, feeling a little trapped now, and then notices Finnick watching at him.  
“I thought you didn’t need a phone this week.”  
Nick smiles casually, berating himself internally for having failed to account for Finnick’s curiosity.  
“I don’t, this is something else.”  
“A side project?” the fennec fox eyes him suspiciously.  
“Oh, no, it’s not for work,” Nick reassures him.  
“You better not be trying to cheat me out of my cut,” his partner warns darkly.  
Nick rolls his eyes. _Of course Finnick’s first thought is what he’s due._ The small fox believed firmly that any money earned during days they worked together was to be shared, whether he’d had any part in earning it or not. Nick had learnt long ago that it wasn’t worth the effort to exclude the small fox, and kept side projects limited to the rare days they worked apart.  
“There is no cut Finnick, it’s purely social.”  
Finnick frowns in confusion, then asks, “You mean it’s for females?”  
Technically true. “Yes.”  
Finnick continues to regard him through narrowed eyes, and Nick has to repress a sigh. Finnick had long harboured suspicions that Nick had plans to replace or abandon him.  
Realizing it would be best to reassure the tiny criminal beside him, Nick holds his phone out for inspection, carefully grasping it such that his thumb obscures the most recent entries.  
Finnick squints and reads aloud, “That was fun. Thanks for walking me home, I’m not sure I would have found it in my state.” He grins at Nick, “You had a date last night!” His eyes flit down to the screen again, “what does C stand for?”  
Nick is grateful his paranoid tendencies had led him to only enter initials for his contacts, of which there were only two. “Cynthia.”  
Finnick nods appreciatively and then asks, “Any other texts?”  
Nick sighs, and taps the back arrow, revealing his inbox, which contains only two conversations: C and M.  
Finnick laughs, and leans back in his seat, apparently satisfied Nick isn’t working with a new partner. “You need to work on your game man. Just two, that’s pathetic.”  
“We can’t all be you,” Nick replies, happy to let Finnick make erroneous assumptions. Though he is at least correct about the gender of his correspondents.  
Finnick continues to chuckle while looking out the window, and Nick’s phone buzzes in his paw again.  
[So? Are we getting food or do you just like giving me false hope?]  
He smiles, and decides to be a little careless today.  
[We were, but now that you’ve revealed yourself to be faithless, I don’t know that I want to dine with you.]  
The reply is almost immediate.  
[Oh come on, I don’t have time for your cruelty, my stomach is trying to eat itself.]  
[Head towards Savanna Central, and I’ll have a precise address by the time you’re near]  
“Finnick,” Nick says, using his most business like tone, “we need to switch roles today.” His partner opens his mouth to protest, but Nick cuts him off, “I’m pursuing a new angle, might double our take, and I need to stick with our friend to figure out if it’s possible.” The promise of more money is always enough to sway Finnick.  
“Fine,” the fennec nods once, and the matter is decided. Nick’s phone vibrates again.  
[On my way, ETA 10 minutes]  
Nick plays candy crush until he runs out of turns, and is pocketing his phone when Finnick announces, “he’s getting ready to move.”  
Nick glances up at the capybara across the way, who is gathering his belonging and preparing to close up the booth.  
The two foxes hop out of the van, heading towards the back to pull out the trolley. They begin to push it slowly towards the tourist information booth, waiting until the attendant finishes locking up and is walking away. Keeping an eye on the retreating figure, Nick pulls out a set of keys and goes about opening up the booth once more. Once open, he and Finnick quickly locate the boxes labelled ‘free weekly guide’, all stamped with that week’s date, and begin piling several onto the trolley.  
“Okay, when you get back,” Nick begins, picking the departing attendant out in the crowd. He is heading southward across the square, strolling leisurely.  
“Get back? Oh no,” Finnick corrects, grinning nastily at Nick, “if we’re switching, we’re switching. You put the boxes in the van, I stay here.”  
Nick decides he doesn’t have time to argue. He pushes the trolley back towards the van while Finnick finishes setting up the booth, covering up existing signs with some of their own creation. The process is done by the time Nick makes it back to the van and pushes the full trolley up into the open van, closing the doors behind it.  
When he tries to find the attendant in the crowd he can’t. He gestures at Finnick, who points towards the southeast corner of the square, between the ZPD building and the train station, and Nick takes off running. He checks his phone as he goes, texting Judy to head south when she arrives at Savanna central. He’s reading her reply when he finally catches up with the attendant one block south of the square.  
[Am I going to have to solve a riddle to get the final location?]  
He slows down and follows the capybara from a distance, grinning when the mammal enters a pretty cafe called ‘The Rosewood’. He texts Judy the address and enters, finding a table near the front with a clear view of the capybara.  
He doesn’t have long to wait before she appears, out of breath and grinning.  
“I love you having a phone.” She says by way of greeting, taking the menu he hands her.  
“I’m not hating it either,” he replies with a grin, watching the capybara peruse his menu carefully. _Good, we might even be able to order before him._

Nick almost doesn’t notice the capybara preparing to leave, he’s so engaged in their conversation. Luckily Judy stands to go to the washroom at just the right moment, and he spots the capybara signaling to the server for his bill.  
Nick is quick to follow the server to the till, interrupting before she can print out the capybara’s bill.  
“I’m so sorry, I’ve just realized the time, and I need to dash, is there any chance I could pay immediately?”  
The camel glances at the seated capybara and then shrugs, “Sure.”  
As she’s printing his bill, he realizes he’s going to have to abandon Judy rather abruptly. “Hey, can you add some pie to that?”  
The camel shrugs, “to go?”  
“No, my friend will be staying, and I thought she’d like some pie.”  
“Whatever you want,” the server replies blandly, printing out a new bill and handing it to him. He quickly hands her cash, and shakes his head when she reaches into her belt to make change.  
She smiles at him for the first time, and turns to print out the capybara’s bill.  
Nick interrupts her again, “Is there any chance you can get her the pie before you do that?”  
The camel shoots him a suspicious look, but Nick is ready for that.  
“You see, it’s just that I’d like it to be on the table when she gets back from the washroom, and she tends to be rather quick in there.” He gives her his most earnest smile, hoping she hasn’t had any bad experiences with foxes in the past.  
The server shrugs, “whatever. We have carrot cream and strawberry rhubarb, which will she want?”  
“Let’s go with with the carrot cream pie.” He guesses.  
He watches the server walk back towards the dessert case, and then surreptitiously unplugs the small printer used to print bills. He walks back to the table he shares with Judy, with an eye on the capybara, who is beginning to look annoyed.  
The server isn’t long with the pie, dropping it at the table just as Judy is emerging from washrooms. Judy grins when she spots the pie, and sits down across from him.  
“For me?”  
“It looked so good in the display case,” he shrugs, watching as the server gets waylaid by patrons wanting water on the way back to the till. He has plenty of time.  
“Well I never say no to pie.” Judy chirps before digging in.  
“A good policy. So listen,” Nick says, smiling apologetically, “I hate to eat and run, but I actually am in the middle of something, and if I don’t get back soon, Finnick’ll be pissed.”  
Judy blinks in surprise at this news, and then nods in understanding, scooping up another forkful of pie, “that’s what the pie is for.”  
“You got it. Keep you company while I take off.” Nick watches her chew thoughtfully.  
“I should have known you were working, why else would you be wearing that?” she says around a mouthful of pie.  
Nick glances down at the loud Hawaiian shirt he’s wearing, which was part of the day’s operation. “What’s wrong with this shirt?” he asks in a hurt tone, pleased she’s not bothered by her impending abandonment.  
“Nothing,” Judy laughs, eyes wide with mock sincerity, “it’s a great shirt.”  
“It is a great shirt!”  
“Well,” Judy says contemplatively, clearing her throat, “thanks for risking Finnick’s ire to have a meal with me, I guess.” She’s clearly decided to take it as a compliment he’d take a break to meet up with her, rather than suspecting he was currently mid hustle. He almost begins to feel guilty, but watching her pleased smile he reassures himself he hasn’t actually involved her.  
He gets up. “See you later.”  
She waves with her fork, her mouth full of pie.  
He starts to step away, and then backtracks to drop her wallet on to the table in front of her, “Also, you might need this.”  
He doesn’t have time to fully enjoy her dumbfounded expression as he’s already heading for the door, glancing once more at the capybara, who is still waiting on his bill.  
Nick slips his sunglasses on as he steps out into the sunlight, feeling rather smug. As he’s crossing the square back towards Finnick, who seems to be pitching to a large family of pandas, Nick gets several texts.  
[When did you do that?]  
[Srsly, cut that out!]  
[Also, I just figured out the real reason you got me this pie! So I wouldn’t leave at the same time as you and figure out which way you are going, or what you are up to]  
He grins and waves at Finnick, who begins packing up even as he’s handing pamphlets to the pandas. Nick types back as he nears the booth.  
[Can’t pie just be pie?]  
“Sorry folks, we need to close down now, but don’t worry, just contact the number on the pamphlet, and they’ll answer any questions you have.” Nick interrupts once he’s close enough, pulling the groups attention away from Finnick, who promptly darts toward the van laden with all their modified signs.  
The pandas look confused, but after Nick reassures them they won’t miss out on this fantastic deal, they wander off as a group.  
Once they’ve dispersed, Nick ducks into the booth to ensure Finnick hasn’t left anything behind. Satisfied that nothing is forgotten, he locks up the booth and strolls back to the van, whistling contentedly.  
He checks his phone again.  
[Well played Slick ;) This pie is delicious btw]  
He isn’t sure how he feels about her using that nickname, but shrugs it off and replies.  
[I had a crazy hunch you’d like carrot cream pie. What’re the odds?]  
“Are you going to be on that thing all day?” Finnick, already sporting what he refers to as his ‘driving shades’, barks in irritation as Nick slides into the passenger seat.  
“How did you do?” Nick asks, ignoring his partner’s question and tone, watching the capybara arrive at the booth and unlock it.  
Finnick tilts his head to the side, “Pretty good. I think we’ll be getting at least 200 from Brian.”  
“Great.”  
“And,” Finnick says, handing Nick a wad of cash, “I sold a few maps.”  
“Good,” Nick replies, adding the cash to the sum already sitting in the glove compartment, “now let’s get down to the waterfront so we can move those guides.”  
Finnick grunts and turns the ignition, and almost instantly the cab is filled with aggressively loud rap. Nick rolls down his window and leans against the door, watching the square for any signs of Judy as the van screeches out onto the road. His phone buzzes.  
[It’s such a nice day out, I don’t really want to go home.]  
Nick ponders a solution momentarily and then texts her back.  
[Take the city hall tour, it’s actually pretty interesting. The next one starts in about 20 minutes, if I’m not mistaken]  
Twenty minutes later, as he’s standing on the deck of a recently docked cruise ship, selling glossy tourism guides (complete with current city wide event listings) to eager tourists waiting to disembark, he receives a response from Judy.  
[You were not mistaken] 

They keep in contact throughout the day, and while he never specifies what he’s up to, she provides a running commentary on her activities. When he and Finnick finish for the day it’s early evening, and he knows she’s at home, cleaning her apartment, having already eaten a tv dinner.  
Crossing the street to hit up his favourite fish stand Nick notices a faded theatre down the block. He stops short when he reads the title of the evening feature. His phone is in his paw before he’s even finished the thought.  
[Have you ever seen The Big Sheep?]  
Nick orders while he waits for her reply, chatting with the owner Gary, a massive polar bear with a goofy laugh. Everyone knew the best fish joints were in Tundra Town, but since Nick tended to avoid large swaths of the district, Gary, the only polar bear operating outside of Tundra Town, was his best option for arctic fish. Gary was also good for Tundra Town gossip, which is why Nick always ate his order leaning against the stand, chatting the vendor up. Tonight was no different, and Nick, more than halfway through his meal, had already gotten several good tidbits out of the polar bear by the time he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.  
“Sorry Gary, gotta get this,” Nick offers apologetically, wiping his left paw on the wad of napkins Gary has sitting out for customers and reaching into his pocket.  
Gary chuckles indulgently, “always money to be made eh Nicky?”  
“You know it,” Nick agrees as he glances at his screen.  
[Not even sure what that is]  
He grins and types his reply while listening halfheartedly to Gary complain about his idiot nephew.  
[Be at the Gnu York Cinema by 18:45 with all the junk food you care to try to smuggle in]

It turns out Judy doesn’t care to try to smuggle anything in, as she arrives promptly at 18:45 in a yellow sun dress that seems absent any pockets.  
“Where are you supposed to hide candy in that?” Nick asks as he falls silently into step beside her just before she reaches the theatre.  
Judy startles audibly, but before Nick can even begin gloating he notices the tight grip she has on his left arm.  
“Jeez Nick!” the flustered bunny exclaims, straightening out of the defensive stance she’d immediately adopted with an embarrassed smile, “don’t sneak up on me like that.”  
Nick watches her seamless shift in posture with wide eyes, “Well I won’t after that.”  
Judy releases his arm and begins brushing invisible dust off her dress, “What was the big idea anyway?”  
“I had planned to lecture you on being so entirely unaware of your surroundings as to let a shifty predator sneak up on you,” Nick explains, watching as her brows furrow instinctively at his own description of himself, “but it seems that doesn’t really put you at risk.”  
Judy rolls her eyes, “Yeah, so you should probably stop trying to teach me lessons.”  
“Maybe.”  
Judy chuckles, “let’s see you try and pickpocket me this time.” She gestures at her dress gleefully.  
Nick grins, “Which brings me back to my original point, where are you planning to hide the candy we need to smuggle in?”  
Judy shrugs, “I’d thought I’d just buy some at the concession stand. You know, support local businesses, follow the rules.”  
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Nick demands, beginning to walk once more towards the theatre.  
“I showed up here not knowing what the plan was.”  
“Well you knew we were coming to a theatre.” Nick replies, opening the door for her.  
“Thanks. I didn’t know what type of theatre, or what we’d be seeing,” she explains, passing quickly inside.  
“You didn’t look it up?” Nick marvels, stepping into the red carpeted foyer of the theatre after her.  
“Nope. It’s more fun if it’s a surprise.”  
“Alright,” Nick agrees, strolling towards the ticket booth, “I guess you do have a sense of adventure.”  
He buys two tickets for The Big Sheep, and together they head for the concession stand. The selection is pretty poor and vastly overpriced, as he’d anticipated. He purchases a large drink they can share, and watches Judy consider their meager candy offerings before deciding to forgo treats. He grins smugly at her, and she rolls her eyes in return.  
They head past the concession stand towards the entrance to the screening room, Nick handing their tickets to the Gnu waiting by the curtain.  
“So much for buying from the concession stand. I mean, does anyone even like black licorice?” Judy complains as they survey the empty rows of seats.  
“Finnick does.” There are only a few other movie goers milling about, and Nick quickly finds what he’s looking for in the darkened theatre. He points her towards a large couch at the back of the room, and they head towards it.  
“Really?”  
“Yeah. I tell him it’s old person candy, to piss him off. Not that he even cares.” Nick chuckles, and climbs up onto the couch, clearly intended for much larger mammals.  
“Old person?” Judy’s puzzlement is obvious as she fails to join him, instead standing dumbly in front of the couch, starring at Nick.  
Her confusion confuses Nick for an instant, before he remembers that Judy, as a non fox, wouldn’t really have any sense of Finnick’s age. That very fact was why they so successfully passed him off as a toddler on the regular.  
“Yeah, Finnick is old. Like, you think I’m old,” Nick begins, gesturing impatiently for Judy to sit down.  
“I don’t think you’re-” Judy argues, finally hopping up to settle beside him.  
“-Well he’s really old. Finnick is approaching the big five oh.”  
“No way.” Judy sounds almost indignant in her shock.  
“Yup, nearly half a century.” Nick replies, looking around for somewhere to rest the beverage. He decides on the couch between them will have to do.  
“I had no idea.”  
“When we met,” Nick reminisces, “he was already older than I am now, and I was fresh-” Nick realizes with a start that he’s about to reveal how long he and Finnick have been working together. He knows Judy will do the math.  
“You were fresh…out of?” she prompts.  
“Dance academy,” he improvises smoothly.  
“Really?” Judy disbelieves.  
“Of course. It’s why I’m so graceful, and light on my feet,” Nick embellishes, reaching into his slacks’ pockets to retrieve two packages. “Surely you’d noticed I move like a dancer.”  
“I hadn’t,” Judy deadpans.  
“Wow, the number of things that escape your notice is frankly alarming.”  
“Nick,” Judy warns playfully.  
“No seriously, I was fresh out of ideas, so we decided to work together.”  
“Oh.”  
“So, lucky for you,” Nick begins, changing the subject entirely, “I’m not a stickler for the rules and I smuggled in a few things.” He holds up a bag for her to see, grinning triumphantly.  
Judy smiles, blinking at him cheerfully, and Nick realizes she can’t read the packaging in the low light of the theatre.  
“Open it,” he tosses her the bag, and watches excitedly as she carefully opens it. As soon as she smells the contents she whoops, punching Nick happily in the shoulder, “chocolate covered raisins!”  
Nick winces, still pleased with himself, and decides his next priority should be somehow dissuading Judy of that violent habit.  
“How’d you know?” Judy asks as she pops a few into her mouth.  
“I’m a little bit psychic.”  
Judy thinks a moment and then nods, “I bought some on our drive to Bunnyburrow.”  
“Bingo.”  
“What do you have?” she inquires, squinting in the darkness as he opens a second bag.  
“Gummy berries.”  
“So, what’re we watching?”  
“Wait, now is when your curiosity kicks in? It’s about to start.”  
Judy shrugs.  
Nick can’t help but tell her anyway, “It’s an old noir classic. Starring Humphrey Baaagart.”  
“I see. I’ve heard of him, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in anything. I was never much for going to the movies. The cinema in Bunnyburrow mostly plays the same 4 animated movies, and by the time I left home, I was too focused on becoming a cop to care about much else.” Nick nods in understanding.  
“Noir is my favourite movie genre. I got really into detective stories when I was 10.”  
“Because of The Bat?”  
Nick blinks in surprise, “Yes actually, that’s how it started.”  
Judy shrugs, as though it were obvious, “he IS a detective.”  
“That was my reasoning.”  
“So, have you seen this movie before?”  
“Of course. It’s a classic. It isn’t the best, but it’s good.”  
“Good” Judy echoes, swinging her legs cheerfully over the edge of the couch and reaching for the flimsy cup resting between them.

“Well,” Judy muses as they make their way out of the theatre, “I’m not sure I’d ace a pop quiz on the subject, what with all those twists, it was a bit hard to keep track of at times, but I did enjoy the movie.”  
“That’s the main thing.”  
“Thanks for the invite Nick,” she bumps her shoulder gently into his side, and Nick returns her smile.  
“No problem Carrots. I feel it is my duty to ensure you get a bit of culture.”  
“You call this culture?”  
“Sure, it was in black and white, right? That’s basically the same as going to the opera.”  
“Basically,” Judy laughs.  
They start walking down the street, chatting about the twists of the movie.  
It’s only twenty minutes later that Judy thinks to ask “Wait, where’re we going?”  
Nick shoots her a wry look and gestures around them. “This place doesn’t look familiar?”  
Judy stops to take in her surroundings, “right, we’re heading to my place.”  
Nick nods, still strolling, “I have to be up before noon tomorrow, so I can’t get up to anymore trouble tonight. Besides, don’t you have another load of laundry to finish?”  
Judy chuckles, “I do.”  
“There you go. So home it is. Unless you have other plans I’m not aware of?”  
“Nope, you are still my only social contact in town.”  
Nick feels oddly proud at that admission, but reassures her, “well not for long. I’m sure once you’re back on the force you’ll be making friends left and right.”  
Judy nods anxiously, and Nick wishes he hadn’t brought it up.  
After a moment of silence Judy asks, “So how did you do today?”  
“I did very well, thanks for asking.” And he had. While Finnick had been off in his estimate of the cut Brian would end up owing them, they had sold a good deal of the free tourism guides. Finnick had left him in a particularly good mood, which certainly bodes well for tomorrow’s excursion.  
“Well, good.”  
He can feel Judy restraining herself from asking further questions.  
“So, given your admission about movies, I think it’s vital we catch you up on the most important moments of cinema. What do you think of doing a movie night sometime this week?”  
“Yeah!” Judy enthuses, “when?”  
“We’ll have to play it by ear, obviously.”  
“Obviously.”  
“But I do already know what we’ll be watching.”  
“I take it I’m hosting?”  
“It’s the least you could do.”  
Judy laughs, and Nick regrets that they’ve already reached the Grand Pangolin Apartments. He holds the foyer door open for her, and watches, perplexed, as she pulls what he had assumed to be a necklace, up over her head. It only dawns on him that it’s a key when she slots it into the inner door.  
“So that’s how you make do without pockets,” he muses as she turns the key. She holds the door for him and then follows him in.  
“The real question is where I keep my money.” Judy winks conspiratorially, and Nick snorts with laughter.  
He follows her into the stairwell, “I have a pretty good idea.”  
“You can’t pickpocket someone who doesn’t have pockets.”  
“Sure you can. You’ve just assumed that hiding your money where you’ve hidden it keeps it safe from me.”  
Judy laughs, exiting onto her floor and turning to give Nick a bemused look.  
“And you have assumed correctly.” Nick continues, walking down the hallway with her.  
“I know.” As they pause in her doorway, Nick thinks to ask about her phone, but then decides he’d rather not know.  
“Before I forget,” Nick says, remembering the wad of paper he stuffed into his pocket for her, “these are for you.” He hands her a clump of rumpled pamphlets, each sporting a different Zootopian attraction. “For when I’m not around,” he explains.  
Judy smiles at him and quickly shuffles through them. “Thanks Nick.”  
“No problem,” he replies, pleased she’s pleased. “I better get going.”  
“Back to Finnick’s eh?” Judy asks conversationally as she unlocks her apartment door.  
“Yup,” he lies, marveling at the fact that that is the first mention of his sleeping situation all day, and it clearly wasn’t even a real question. _This is so much easier._  
Judy beams at him, and Nick fakes a smile back, suddenly disappointed with how quickly he’s justified lying to her.  
“Alright, well I’ll see you around.” Judy says, stepping into her apartment, dropping her keys onto the tiny table in the entryway, where her phone had clearly been siting all night.  
“Same to you.” He waves once, and then turns to walk back down the hall, pondering where he should spend the night. He considers texting the only other number in his phone, but in the end decides against it. 

[My neighbours are quickly going from entertaining to annoying. Why did I miss this place?]  
Nick is once again sitting in Finnick’s passenger seat, though this time the van is in motion. They’re on their way out to the outskirts of Big Dune, in Sahara Square, to see one of Finnick’s cousins, their pawpsicle stick supplier. One of the main reasons he’d started working with Finnick all those years ago had been his supply connections, most of which were part of his large extended family. Finnick’s family was strangely close knit for a group of violent felons who all seemed entirely unaware of the law.  
[Because you’re unbalanced? The evidence is manifold]  
Nick smiles as he sends his reply, then instinctively braces himself against the door as they approach a wide bend in the road. He is by now so used to the maniacal manner in which Finnick drives, that he rarely registers above the subconscious level the near misses his partner courts.  
His phone buzzes again, and Finnick’s ears twitch. Nick considers putting his phone on silent.  
[See, I think I missed them like I missed my siblings. You grow up used to this much loud bickering and you convince yourself you like it.]  
It seems Judy is feeling introspective. He has time to kill anyway, and Finnick, despite yesterday’s fortunes, is not very chatty today. He replies with a question.  
[Like an adaptive measure?]  
A second later his phone vibrates in his paw, and he sees Finnick tense in his peripheral vision.  
[Exactly, in order to maintain sanity.]  
He snorts as he reads that, and quickly types an answer.  
[So your argument is that your irrational nostalgia for mammals that are ultimately annoying is evidence of your sanity, and not the other way around?]  
This time in anticipation of her reply he silences his phone.  
[Yes]  
Nick makes the mistake of laughing out loud, which Finnick reacts to immediately.  
“Who’re you talking to now?” he demands testily.  
Nick rolls his eyes and types out his reply, “Cynthia still.”  
[I don’t buy it]  
He looks at Finnick, who is gripping the steering wheel tightly, a clear sign of irritation. He wonders what’s put the small fox in such a terrible mood. He isn’t sure he has the patience to deal with Finnick’s moods today. He glances back at his phone, where another text from Judy waits.  
[You think it’s more likely I’m insane?]  
He decides to ignore Finnick as he taps at his screen.  
[I’d say it’s certain given your chosen profession]  
“Who is this vixen? Do I know her?” Finnick snaps, sounding entitled in a way that rubs Nick the wrong way.  
Nick drops his phone into his lap and gives Finnick his full attention. “I don’t know, she does look a little like you.” He widens his eyes and places a paw on his chest, as though having an epiphany. “Say don’t you have a cousin named Cynthia?”  
Finnick looks unsettled for a brief satisfying moment, and then he’s snearing, “psht, as if anyone in my family would give you the time of day.”  
The tone with which Finnick delivers this dismissal irks Nick, and before he can think a retort is leaping out of his mouth.  
“Oh really? So Cindy IS adopted?” Nick regrets mentioning Finnick’s niece before he’s even completed the sentence.  
Finnick narrows his eyes dangerously, emitting a low growl, and Nick wonders where his stupid impulse to provoke mammals comes from. That line is going to haunt him down the road. He quickly shifts gears.  
“I’m joking Finn, relax. Cindy can't stand me. Cynthia is just some girl from Tundra town, no relation.”  
“An artic fox?” Finnick sounds surprised, and a little impressed. Nick isn’t sure what that says about the tiny fennec, and decides not to dwell on it.  
“Sure. Now, can I get back to it?” Nick asks impatiently, wondering if Judy would be amused by the identity he has constructed for her, or offended.  
“Whatever,” Finnick replies, leaning forward to bring the radio to life.  
Nick’s ears flatten against his head at the onslaught of angry french. He looks out the window. They’ll be at Cedric’s soon.  
[Oh so being a cop is crazy? What does that make you?]  
Nick hunches down further in his seat, and composes what he feels is an appropriately ironic claim.  
[The sanest mammal alive]


	8. Judy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to break the Nick chapter up with this tiny Judy interlude.

[Would you rather lose a leg or an arm?]  
Judy is considering her answer carefully when the yelling next door starts again. She’d had a few hours of respite while her neighbours ran errands of their own, and had even had time, between texting Nick and researching doctors online, to write her mother a rather long email.  
“WHERE IS MY EPISODE OF ‘SISTERS’ PRONK?  
“RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT IT, IDIOT, ON THE VIEWBOX!”  
“NO, IT’S NOT HERE. IF YOU DELETED MY EPISODE AGAIN, I SWEAR PRONKS I AM GOING TO-”  
“-I DIDN’T TOUCH YOUR STUPID FOLDER, WHY DON’T YOU TRY LOOKING PROPERLY?”  
“I DID! LOOK!”  
“WHATEVER, YOU PROBABLY DELETED IT YOURSELF AND FORGOT.”  
“I DID NOT!”  
“WELL I DIDN’T DO IT!”  
“NOW HOW WILL I FIND OUT HOW TAMMY ENDED UP IN THE EMERG?”  
Judy can hear them easily, despite the music blasting out of her headphones.  
She considers going for another jog, just to get some peace, but she knows they’ll still be at it when she gets back. What she needs to do is come up with something to do outside her apartment. Something time consuming.  
With Nick running ‘errands’ all day, her social options are limited. _I really need to make more friends._  
“HEY BUNNY, DID YOU RECORD THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF ‘NIGHTMARE SISTERS’?”  
Judy blinks when she realizes her neighbours are addressing her.  
“No?” she replies at a normal speaking volume, having never heard of the show.  
“MY LIFE IS OFFICIALLY RUINED.”  
“STOP BEING SO DRAMATIC BUCKY. IT WASN’T EVEN A GOOD EPISODE.”  
“HAH, I KNEW YOU WATCHED IT!”  
“WELL I STILL DIDN’T DELETE IT!”  
Judy groans, and finds herself participating, “couldn’t you look it up online? I bet someone’s uploaded it. You’ll at least find a blog post about why whoever went to the hospital.” Judy’s best guess would be some sort of fight, likely involving alcohol.  
“YEAH, LOOK IT UP YOU BIG CRY BABY!”  
“IT’S NOT THE SAME!”  
“Can you guys maybe keep it down?” Judy asks plaintively, still wearing her headphones.  
“NO!”  
“YOU CAN’T TELL US WHAT TO DO BOSSY BUNNY! WE’RE NOT AFRAID OF COPS!”  
“YEAH, I KNOW MY RIGHTS!”  
Judy sighs, “forget I brought it up.”  
“YOU’D LIKE THAT WOULDN’T YOU?”  
Judy hunches down further in her seat, she should have known better than to get involved. It never helped.  
“LEAVE HER ALONE, SHE SAID SHE WAS SORRY!”  
“SHE DID NOT!”  
“YES SHE DID! DIDN’T YOU BUNNY?”  
She could go to the museum, or visit the main branch of the Zootopia public library. She could hop on the subway and try exploring a new neighbourhood. The Canal district had always called to her from Zootopia’s promotional website. She flips through the pamphlets Nick had given her, sure she’d seen one about a guided boat tour of the canals.  
“BUNNY?”  
“DO YOU THINK SHE LEFT?”  
“I DON’T KNOW, HEY BUNNY, ARE YOU STILL THERE?”  
Judy lets her head fall forward onto her desk with a thump. She pushes her stack of pamphlets to the side; her ability to make coherent plans is quickly fading.  
“YEAH SHE’S THERE.”  
“AND SHE’S NOT ANSWERING? WELL THAT’S RUDE.”  
“HONESTLY.”  
Briefly the voices are silent, and then they are talking again, but this time mercifully below full volume. Her headphones shield her effectively from their conversation, the only evidence it’s happening are the vibrations of the two paintings on the wall. Judy opens the map application on her phone, wondering how long it would take to get to the Canal district. Maybe she’ll just show up and play it by ear.  
It isn’t long before she can hear their conversation building again, and then it’s back to levels she can’t ignore.  
“IT IS NOT!”  
“IT IS TOO!”  
“I MADE BREAKFAST THIS MORNING, AND SUPPER LAST NIGHT!”  
“BREAKFAST DOESN’T MATTER, I MADE LUNCH TODAY, SO IT’S YOUR TURN TO COOK!”  
“BREAKFAST DOES TOO MATTER! IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY! IT’S YOUR TURN TO COOK!”  
An idea occurs to Judy; an activity to get her out of her apartment, and at least temporarily end their argument.  
“MAYBE IT’S MY TURN!” She yells at the wall, and is pleased by their confused silence. She pulls one earbud out.  
“Is she talking to us, Pronk?” Bucky is speaking at a more reasonable volume, but the thin walls and her free ear mean she can hear him.  
“I am Bucky.”  
“Did you say it was your turn to cook? Because I’m pretty sure it’s Bucky’s turn.”  
“IT IS N-”  
“-I WAS SUGGESTING WE GET FOOD TOGETHER.” Judy finds it kind of fun to yell through the wall. It certainly makes meal planning more invigorating. She pulls out her other earbud and begins coiling her headphones.  
“Oh,” she isn’t sure if that was Pronks or Bucky.  
“I THOUGHT WE COULD GO TO A LOCAL PLACE. MAYBE YOU COULD SHOW ME WHERE THE BEST PLACE IS AROUND HERE.”  
“Okay.” The excited reply is recognizably Bucky.  
“WE LEAVE IN ONE MINUTE.” Judy declares, standing to collect her belonging.  
There is frantic rushing next door, the sounds of cupboard doors being slammed, peppered with cries of, “Move! Move!”  
She can hear an argument brewing, and realizes she shouldn’t have used the word ‘best’ when assigning the task of choosing a place to eat.  
“IF YOU CAN PICK A PLACE WITHOUT SHOUTING, IT’S MY TREAT!”  
The volume next door drops again, and then she can hear their apartment door slamming shut. Rapid knocking on her door follows.  
“She knows we’re here Bucky, stop knocking.”  
“It’s the polite thing to do!”  
“It is not you idiot, who raised you?”  
Judy opens the door quickly, gazing up at the tall mammals who are glaring at each other.  
“So?” she questions loudly, hopping to distract them.  
“Mallory’s” they reply in sync.  
“Okay then, lead the way.” Judy gestures down the hall towards the stairwell. The two antelopes start walking, falling into step beside one another. They insist on passing into the stairwell at the same time, crowding angrily through the doorway.  
“And don’t think we’ll order salads just because you’re paying!”  
“Yeah, you agreed to treat us, so you have to put up with whatever we order.”  
“Exactly!”  
“Sure guys,” Judy answer, following them out into the street.  
“Are you going to be able to keep up with us, or do we have to walk slowly?” Pronks demands loudly, frowning down at Judy.  
“Don’t worry about me, I’m fast when I need to be.”  
“This way then,” Bucky says, reaching out to take Pronks’ hoof in his.  
He pulls at him impatiently, and Pronks snap, “Quit it!” but doesn’t move to pull free. Instead he speeds up to walk beside Bucky. The two antelopes are peaceful for a moment, strolling along in front of her, swinging their clasped hooves back and forth happily.  
“And if you have a problem with PDA, you can just suck it.”  
“Yeah, we’re not going to change for you!”  
“We don’t change for anyone!”  
“Understood,” Judy laughs.  
She thinks of the phone sitting in her pocket. Worst comes to worst, she’ll have a funny story to tell Nick.


	9. Nick

Finnick’s mood changes for the better after they’ve spent some time with Cedric, one of the softest spoken member’s of Finnick’s family. Cedric had always liked Nick, and his good opinion of Nick often seemed to rub off on his older cousin. The younger fennec was a practical businessman, and Nick believed that in another world they might have been friends.  
For the remainder of the day Finnick largely ignores Nick, freeing him up to converse with Judy at will. He texts her frequently as they run their various errands, picking up supplies, meeting with important contacts, greasing well placed palms, supping with Finnick’s sister, mother of the unfortunate Cindy.  
Luckily Cindy is out with friends, so Nick doesn’t have to deal with the suspicions he’d foolishly put in her uncle’s mind. Instead he is treated to the rapid fire sniping of Frankie and her two elder daughters, twins Lucy and Marcy . Finnick’s younger sister had had a problem with Nick from the start, suspicious of him even as a young tod. He’d once confronted her about it, when he’d been young enough to think he might be able to manipulate the already mother of three, and asked her what her problem with him was.  
“You think you’re better than us. You think you’re better than Finnick,” she’d accused quietly. And the truth was, he had thought that. Nick had known he was smarter than Finnick almost immediately, and he hadn’t yet realized that didn’t make him better. Frankie hadn’t bought Nick’s smooth denial that day, and she had continued to judge him for the arrogant young fox he’d once been in the following decade.  
Nick would have avoided Frankie entirely were it not for the fact that she was one of the greatest cooks he’d ever met. His determination in the face of her dislike had seemed to impress Finnick early on, who took it as a sign that Nick shared his values as far as family were concerned. In reality, Nick thought he would endure far worse than Frankie’s disdain to gain access to her supper table.  
Nick was, after all, largely unfazed by the poor opinion of others by that point, and he’d barely noticed when the twins had joined their mother in her snide comments. The truth was, Frankie was a loud vixen who lacked subtlety, which took all of the bite out of her ‘biting’ remarks. Nick almost enjoyed the ritual of trading barbs with her whenever Finnick and he visited her restaurant before the dinner rush. Though on occasion, when he wasn’t cautious enough, their visits would end with him covered in whatever Frankie had on hand after he delivered a particularly cutting retort.  
Making a concerted effort to avoid controversy this afternoon, Nick ignores all of Frankie’s provocations, and soon finds an excuse to escape the kitchen, where they typically eat so that Frankie can keep an eye on her cooks. He takes refuge in the wait station, out of sight but still nearby.  
The front of the house staff ignore him as he finishes his second helping of the soup of the day, sitting awkwardly on the very low (fennec sized) counter between a well used coffee pot and a stack of take out containers. He checks his phone again, but he hasn’t received an answer from Judy in over an hour. He wonders what she’s up to.  
Cindy sweeps into the area as if looking for something and her eyes light up when she spots him. “I knew you couldn’t be far. I saw uncle’s van out front.”  
“I thought you were out with friends,” Nick asks, even as he wonders if Finnick spotted her arrival.  
Cindy rolls her eyes at that description as she walks towards him, “I was at school, but mom is still in denial about the whole thing.” She stands on tiptoes once she’s beside him to give him a peck on the cheek, “It’s great to see you Nicky.”  
Nick winces, grateful he can still hear Finnick in the kitchen, and watches as she turns to pour two cups of coffee.  
“You know I don’t like it when you call me that.” He scolds.  
“I know,” she smiles, handing him one of the mugs, having added cream and sugar to it.  
He takes it gratefully, “and you know your mother doesn’t like it when you’re nice to me.”  
“I know,” Cindy answers, her eyes sparkling with mischief, “that’s why I do it.”  
It had been blessing when Cindy’s teenage rebellion, starting at 15, had taken the form of liking anyone her mother hated. He’d suddenly had an ally in the restaurant, someone willing to sneak him extra bread, save him his favourite cookies, and pull him out of the kitchen before he went too far with Frankie and got splashed. He’d repaid her kindness by providing her with potent comebacks for fights with her mother, sage advice concerning sneaking out at night, and enthusiasm when she’d first proposed attending Zootopia University.  
“Well that hurts. I’d like to believe some of this kindness has to do with my charming nature.”  
“Nah,” Cindy shakes her head, “it’s just to piss her off. I swear the second she likes you, you’re dead to me.”  
“How is school going?” Nick asks, sipping his coffee.  
“Good,” the tiny fox answers excitedly, “it’s so different from first year, you know? I really feel like I have a handle on things now.”  
“That’s great to hear.” Nick can’t hear Finnick’s voice anymore and worries he’ll be around the corner any minute to catch them in cosy conversation.  
“You know, you’re the only one who asks me about it,” Cindy informs him indignantly.  
Nick shrugs, “Family are rarely what you want them to be. Speaking of which, have you been out to say hi to your uncle yet?”  
“Nah,” Cindy replies, leaning on the counter beside him.  
“You should probably do that,” Nick proposes nervously, listening for sounds of his partner.  
“What’s wrong Nick?” Cindy asks, her paw on his elbow.  
Nick shifts to stand up, dislodging her paw, “nothing. But, can you do me a favour?”  
“Sure.” Cindy is unperturbed by his sudden gain in height, stepping back in order to avoid straining her neck looking up at him.  
“I need you to not be sweet to me for a little bit.”  
“But how will I irritate my mother?”  
“You’re resourceful, you’ll find a way.”  
“Okay,” Cindy shrugs, “does this mean you don’t want me to save you cookies anymore?”  
“What, no no, still do that. Just, you know, don’t act like you like me, in public.”  
Cindy watches him with narrowed eyes, “When do I see you in public?”  
“I mean in front of your uncle.”  
“What did you do?” Cindy asks, her voice thick with accusations.  
“Well obviously, I said something stupid that I’d rather not reveal” Nick replies with self-directed exasperation.  
“Yeah but if it’s something involving me specifically, shouldn’t I know what it is?” Cindy wonders, taking another sip of her coffee.  
“You’d think that, but it’s probably best we don’t discuss it.”  
“You’ve offended enough people for one day?”  
“Exactly.”  
Cindy considers this for a moment, and then nods, “Alright, your name is mud from here on out.”  
“Perfect.”  
“And I’ll go say hi to my uncle.” Cindy drains the rest of her coffee and reaches to take his empty mug from him. He waves her off, nodding meaningfully at the coffee pot. Cindy pours him another cup, dumping the sugar and cream in before he can ask.  
“Awesome. If you could mention you think I’m ugly while you’re at it, just casually, that would really help me out.”  
Cindy’s brows furrow, “you’re making it really hard not to be curious.”  
“I’ll tell you one day, when you’re older,” Nick teases. This was a phrase he’d been using with her for a long time, and ‘older’ was a moving target that grew as she did.  
“And when will that be again?” Cindy had stopped finding this joke frustrating right around the time the rest of society started considering her an adult.  
“What was my last quote?”  
“20.”  
“How old are you now?”  
“19, but as I hope you’ll remember, my birthday is coming up,” Cindy is laughing as she answers, already knowing the punchline.  
“See, I meant 21, not 20. You misheard me.”  
“Sure Nicky,” Cindy dismisses, reaching below the counter to retrieve a small baggy from a bar fridge. She tosses it to Nick, “New brownie recipe my mom is trying. Fresh last night.”  
“I knew there was a reason you were my favourite fennec.”  
“I’m the only one in this building who likes you,” Cindy replies with a chuckle, heading for the kitchen, her empty mug in paw, “I’m off to convince my uncle you disgust me.”  
Nick winks at her, “you’re a peach.”  
“Bye Nick.” Cindy laughs as she disappears around the corner.  
Nick grins, relieved that situation is solved, and decides to try and scam one of the servers into bringing him more soup. Frankie had really outdone herself today.

[I did a dumb thing today.]  
Nick slips his phone back in his pocket and shifts in his seat in the van. He’s waiting for Finnick to emerge so they can head back towards Savanna central. Judy must no longer be occupied, because her reply is immediate.  
[Ooo tell me! I want to know what stupid thing you did]  
Nick smiles, surprised at how appealing the prospect of sharing his idiocy with her is. Today had certainly been enlivened by the ability to communicate with her at will, as things that might amuse her occurred to him. In fact, keeping his business dealings from her was quickly losing it’s appeal, in that it made the reporting of funny incidents more arduous.  
[Ask me about it next time I see you. Too tired to type]  
A second later his phone is ringing.  
“I didn’t mean call me Carrots,” he answers the phone, amused at the strength of her curiosity.  
“You said you were too tired to type,” Judy explains pragmatically.  
“Well I’m still at work, so I can’t talk about it yet.”  
“What’re you doing exactly?” Her genuine interest makes him smile, and he’s happy that he can answer without dissimulation.  
“Sitting in the van, waiting for Finnick to finish talking to his sister.”  
“I see.”  
“I live an exciting life. What’re you doing?”  
“I’m getting ready for tomorrow.”  
“The big day back. You got your doctor’s note ready?” Nick asks, leaning forward to find the small lever on the side of his seat. He pulls it, and then reclines his seat until it’s nearly horizontal, propping his legs up on the dash. He grins, Finnick hates it when he does that.  
“Not yet, no,” Judy answers, and he can hear that she’s moving about her room, shuffling things around.  
“You don’t have it yet?” Nick’s incredulity sounds almost fake in his ears, and he winces at how loud he’s speaking.  
“No, but that’s by design,” Judy explains calmly, “I’ve made an early morning appointment at a clinic by the station, that way the doctor will be seeing me at my healthiest possible. And then once I have his signature, work is right there, plenty of time to spare before the 10 o’clock briefing.”  
“Sounds like a good plan.”  
“It’s a great plan.” The excitement in her voice is contagious, and Nick finds himself grinning at the van’s pockmarked ceiling like an idiot.  
“Possibly the greatest plan,” he agrees, shifting to move his phone to his other paw, trying to get comfortable.  
The sound of the van’s side door sliding open behind him startles Nick, and he drops his phone, which tumbles down into the space between the door and his seat.  
A face is suddenly looming over him, as a fennec climbs up into the van through the open door.  
“What’re you up to?” Cindy asks cheerfully, leaning against his headrest and grinning down at him.  
“What’re you doing here?” he demands gruffly, sitting up to reach for his phone. His blind searching produces nothing but an arm wedged painfully in a narrow space. “Where’s Finnick?”  
Cindy, from behind him, groans dramatically, “he and mom are fighting, again. Here.”  
He feels something poking into his back and he turns to find her holding his phone out to him. He yanks his arm out of the crevice it was jammed in, and snatches his phone.  
“Hey Carrots? Are you still there?”  
“Nick what happened?” comes her concerned reply.  
“Nothing, I just dropped the phone. Look Carrots, I have to call you back okay?”  
“Sure Nick, later.”  
He hangs up quickly, turning to look behind him, but the door is now closed and Cindy is gone. _Good._  
“Who’s Carrots?” Cindy’s voice comes from beside him, and when he turns she’s sitting in Finnick’s booster seat, fidgeting with the steering wheel.  
“What’re you doing out here?” he asks again, annoyed. This is the opposite of what he’d asked of her.  
“Since when do you have a smart phone?” she counters, reaching for it.  
He shoves it back into his pant’s pocket and gives her a cold look, “Since when would you know if I had a smart phone.”  
Cindy blinks once, then shrugs, “Fair enough.”  
She turns to look out the front windshield, observing the back of her family’s restaurant silently.  
After a long moment, Nick sighs, “what’re they fighting about?”  
“Me, school,” she answers shortly.  
“Who is pro school?” Nick wonders, having trouble conceiving of why the two siblings would be disagreeing.  
“Oh neither of them. But uncle Finnick said I had no business going to school, and then mom got offended, and said he had no business having an opinion about me going to school, even if it was a stupid waste of money, and then they started yelling.”  
“So this should take a while,” Nick suggests, leaning back in his seat.  
“When I left the kitchen they had just gotten to rehashing uncle Finn’s decision to work with you.” Cindy reports sadly, still staring straight ahead.  
“Wow, so we have some time.” When Finnick and his sister fought, all their previous fights were relived, more or less in chronological order.  
“I’m guessing by now they’re at least at the wisdom of opening a restaurant in ‘this economy’.” Cindy suggests, leaning back in Finnick’s seat.  
“Of course.” Nick nods, having witnessed enough of their fights, “he still thinks it was a dumb idea, despite evidence to the contrary in the form of reality, and she’s still mad he didn’t support her.”  
“She’s not wrong on that count,” Cindy says, in rare support of her mother.  
Nick shrugs, “Your family is really bad at forgiveness.”  
Cindy smiles ruefully, “We know how to hold a grudge.” She turns to look at him, “You know, I remember when mom first starting talking about it. You were the only one who thought she should do it.”  
“It would be selfish not to share her cooking with the world.” Nick muses virtuously.  
Cindy is now watching him intently, “I know you’re the only reason she has that place today. Even if she has forgotten.”  
Nick shakes his head gently, “that’s inaccurate, but it’s sweet you see it that way.”  
“It’s crazy that she hates you so much.”  
Nick closes his eyes and rests back in his reclined seat, “Your mom doesn’t hate me.”  
“Well she isn’t grateful.”  
Nick opens his left eye to squint at her, “I’m a businessman Cind, and my reward was financial. Your mom doesn’t owe me.” He closes his eye again, and wonders if taking a nap would be a good idea while waiting for Finnick. He’d have to get rid of Cindy first. “Besides,” he continues after a moment, “there was that glorious 6 months after the opening where your mother liked me. She practically sang my name.”  
“Really? I don’t remember that.”  
“Well babies have bad memories,” he snarks.  
Cindy snorts beside him, “I was already in school full time when you met my mom, so that’s mathematically impossible. Plus the restaurant only got opened-.”  
“-Fine then,” Nick interrupts, “you were too involved with school to notice.” Nick shrugs, feeling weird about the conversation, and wishing she would go, “how’d the topic end up on school anyway? You’re normally smart enough to avoid that.”  
“It’s sort of your fault.”  
“I’ve found that most things are.”  
“Uncle Finn started asking me about boys.”  
Nick groans and covers his eyes, it actually was his fault.  
“Which, you know, he’s never asked about before. I think he still thinks I’m 12 or something.” Cindy theorizes.  
“Did you mention I was ugly?”  
“Yeah, that’s what prompted it.”  
Nick sits up in alarm, and turns to interrogate Cindy, “well did you do it casually, like I said?”  
“No Nick,” she answers sarcastically, “I did it stupidly, because I’m stupid.”  
After a moment she goes on, uncertainly, “I think I said it casually, but I’m not in school for acting you know.”  
Nick leans back in his seat, “yeah I know.”  
“Anyway, he was asking about boys, so I told him I was in a relationship.”  
“Right Benji,” Nick nods, relieved. That would calm Finnick down. She had a boyfriend.  
“What? No,” Cindy replies, indignant, “Benji and I broke up a while ago. I’m seeing a new guy now, Tom. We met at school, and that’s how the topic of school came up.”  
This is news to Nick. He’d liked Benji, a good, if a bit dopey, male who’d worked at the restaurant for a time. What Nick had liked most about Benji had been his absolute terror of Frankie, and Cindy’s entire family, which surely kept him in line.  
Nick’s immediate suspicion of this new guy is unfortunately one he vocalizes. “I don’t like the sound of Tom. Has he met your mom?”  
Cindy raises one brow skeptically, “don’t play at being my older brother Nick, you’re bad at it.”  
“Yeah,” Nick mutters, feeling hot shame prickle the back of his neck, “you have no idea.”  
“Oh I think I have some idea, cause there’s very little you could have said to uncle to make him start asking about my love life.”  
“I’d argue with that. Your uncle is crazy, and I could have said any number of things to set him off, up to and including, ‘I like celery.’” Nick stares the small fennec down defiantly, though it’s a little harder than usual with her sitting in Finnick’s seat.  
“You like celery?” Cindy wonders, distracted by the tangent.  
“What? No! It’s a garbage vegetable. That was an example.”  
Cindy is laughing now, “what did you say to my uncle about me? I know it wasn’t about Benji, because he’d never even noticed Benji. And he made me promise I wouldn’t start spending time with you.”  
“So you thought you’d immediately come hang out with me in a creepy van?” Nick pulls the lever on his seat, causing it to raise straight up again, giving him a clear view of the restaurant once more.  
“I’m not good at following instructions.” Cindy shrugs, “and if you want me to get out of here before he and my mom make up, you’ll tell me what you said to freak him out.”  
“Blackmail? That doesn’t seem very scholarly of you. I thought you were trying to go against the family instinct.”  
Cindy rolls her eyes, “confess Nicky, I know you said something.” Her voice drops in volume, “did you tell him about what I told you last year? Because that was-”  
“-No!” Nick cuts her off immediately, suddenly understanding what Cindy might have been worried about, “no no, nothing like that. I swear. I know how to keep my mouth shut.” While Nick had never had much faith in the staying power of her affection for him, he had been strangely touched when she’d decided to trust him. He wouldn’t betray that readily.  
“Then what?” Cindy asks exasperatedly.  
Nick sighs, then glancing at the back at the restaurant again, begins, “well your uncle was bugging me.”  
“He does that.”  
“And he was being nosey.”  
“Unsurprising.”  
“So I kind of suggested that I was dating your cousin Cynthia, but only sort of. He assumed I was dating someone, and then I implied that it was Cynthia.” Nick finds himself at a loss as to how to best spin the story in his favour. He looks at Cindy helplessly.  
“Because obviously the best way to shut my uncle up is to imply you’re dating one of his family members.”  
“See, you get it.” Nick quips.  
“Get to the part where I’m involved.”  
“Right, so then he decided that was impossible, and he isn’t wrong, but he said it was impossible because no one in your family would give me the time of day, because I’m not good enough or something, and I said, you know, I said, ‘Oh so Cindy is adopted?’”  
“Why would you say that?”  
“Because I’m dumb, and also, I’m terrible at keeping my mouth shut,” Nick explains plaintively. “I mean, I was just referring to the fact that you are on occasion halfway decent to me. Mostly with the cookies, and the bread, and the other cookies. It’s not my fault your uncle misinterpreted-”  
“-You knew that wasn’t where his mind would go!” Cindy cuts him off incredulously.  
“Well obviously I knew that,” Nicks admits frankly. “And I have to admit, despite the creepy factor, it is nice to know that it freaked him out so much. I mean, the fact that he even talked to you about it means I really scared him.” Nick grins at her ferally, “I almost never get to scare your uncle.”  
“Are you sure you’re older than me?” Cindy asks sardonically, and Nick understands it as the dig at his maturity it is.  
“Yes Cindy, I’m sure. Now, could get out of here?” Nick pleads, watching the back door of the restaurant anxiously.  
“Oh grow up Nick. I paid one of the servers to text me when the screaming stops. We’ll have plenty of warning.”  
“Oh.”  
“If this causes problems for me Nick, you can kiss the cookies goodbye.”  
“Define problems.”  
“Benji was only safe because uncle didn’t notice he existed, somehow. I don’t need him thinking he needs to meet Tom, or any of my future boyfriends. If uncle Finn doesn’t go back to treating me like I’m 12 by tomorrow, we have a problem.”  
“12? Shouldn’t you want him to treat you like an adult?” Nick considers trying to spin this whole thing like he did her a favour. _Too much of a stretch._  
“Are you kidding, he treats my mom like an adult, and you see what that gets her. No, better he think of me as some sort of asexual child thing he can mostly ignore.” Finnick rarely paid any mind to the children in his family, or otherwise. He wasn’t a fan.  
“Right,” Nick nods in understanding, “listen, he has a short fuse, and a shorter attention span. I bet he’s already forgotten. Fights with your mom tend to wipe him out.” Nick thinks for a moment before adding, “besides, that fox is a master of self-deception. Finnick doesn’t see what he doesn’t want to see.”  
“You better be right,” Cindy mutters darkly, jabbing a single claw at him.  
“Oh yeah?” Nick asks, amused with how formidable Cindy is trying to be, “you gonna cut off my cookie supply?”  
Cindy wrinkles her snout in irritation, “Oh I can do worse than that. If you mess with me.”  
“Whoa now sweetie,” Nick flashes Cindy an arrogant smile, “let’s not pretend you get to actually threaten me.”  
“Don’t I though, Nicky?” Cindy asks ominously.  
“No?” Nick is suddenly nervous, sitting up straighter in his seat.  
Cindy pulls her phone out of her pocket. “Oh look,” she announces casually, “the fight’s over.”  
His blood runs cold for the nanosecond it takes him to realize she’s lying.  
“Bullshit.” Cindy had always been bad at bluffing him.  
Cindy laughs, and then declares gleefully, “or I could start flirting with you in front of my uncle.”  
Nick's mouth twists in disgust, “you wouldn’t.”  
“Obviously not, but the point is, let’s not pretend I can’t threaten you,” she says matter-of-factly, and something about her tone pricks Nick’s paranoia.  
“Fair enough.” Nick nods simply, realizing by how much he has shifted the power between them. He reevaluates what he knows about Cindy.  
Cindy frowns at him, “oh come on Nick, don’t take it so seriously. Like you said, I wouldn’t do that.”  
“Right,” Nick agrees, not entirely convinced.  
Cindy watches him sadly for a moment. Then she says, “you’re the one who said a stupid thing today.”  
“That’s true.” Nick answers, pondering what Cindy might want from him in the future. It was always best to see that sort of thing coming.  
“You caused problems for me,” she goes on, watching him closely.  
“I did,” he agrees, wondering what her tuition costs.  
“So why do I feel like I’m the one who’s lost your trust?”  
“What?! No, Cind, that’s crazy,” Nick argues, _you never had it,_ “of course I still trust you. I’m just feeling a little embarrassed is all. Don’t worry about it,” he insists, his voice full of warmth and humour.  
“Good,” Cindy looks reassured, “because you know, you’re really important to me Nick. You’ve been there for me, and my family may be bad at forgiveness, but we’re good at loyalty.”  
Nick tunes out Cindy’s speech in favour of calculating mentally what it would cost him to lose Finnick. Satisfied he could handle the hit, he glances back at Cindy. She is smiling at him warmly, and he mirrors her easily.  
A ding sounds from Cindy’s pocket, and she startles.  
“The fight must be over,” she says, opening the driver’s side door. “See you later Nick,” she turns to wink at him before hopping out the door, “I’ll save you some snickerdoodles next time.”  
The door slams behind her, and Nick sits in gloomy silence watching her retreating figure.  
Once she’s gone, he pulls his cell phone out.  
[Actually, I did a phenomenally dumb thing today]  
While he waits for a reply he fishes the bag of brownies from his pocket, hoping they will offer some comfort.  
They are delicious, but somehow make him sadder. He debates whether he should stop eating them. While he’s contemplating his third, Judy’s reply comes in. He smiles before he even begins reading.  
[I had a meal with the antelopes next door, and I now know more about reality television than anyone should. So I’m pretty sure I did the dumber thing today]  
Nick's smile grows as he realizes that was why she hadn't been answering earlier. He puts the bag of brownies down and replies.  
[You were holding out on me! You didn’t mention this before]  
Her reply is nearly instant this time.  
[Well you were holding out on me. When am I going to find out about this dumb thing you did?]  
Nick swallows and glances back up at the restaurant. Everything is still. He rereads her first text, and then replies.  
[After you detail exactly how you got roped into spending time with the thunder twins]  
Again, his phone is vibrating almost immediately.  
[lol I did it voluntarily]  
He laughs aloud, alone in the van.  
[Okay, you win, you did do the dumber thing. Why on earth did you do that? Are you so desperate without me?]  
Her answer comes without delay or embarrassment.  
[Pretty much lol]  
Nick thinks for a moment before he taps back.  
[Glad to hear I’m your first choice out of one]  
[Even then, I wouldn’t say you’re my first choice]  
Nick laughs again.  
[ouch]  
There is a pause, and he is composing a more detailed response when a text arrives.  
[Anyway, I can’t really express what it’s like to spend time with them via text. I’ll tell you when I see you. Then you can tell me about the dumb thing you did.]  
Nick nods to himself. He knows Judy plans to go to bed early, so he doesn’t suggest they hang out now. He replies and then pockets his phone.  
[Sounds like a plan]  
Finnick is emerging from the restaurant by the time Nick has finished the rest of the brownies. Watching his exhausted partner walk towards him, Nick’s mood sinks again. He thinks about texting Judy to hang out despite her early morning plans.  
Finnick opens his door and shoots Nick an apologetic look, “Sorry, Frankie was being crazy.”  
“She is related to you.”  
“Huh?” Finnick mumbles absentmindedly, starring straight ahead at the restaurant.  
“Just, let’s get out of here,” Nick encourages, gesturing at the ignition.  
Finnick fumbles with his keys and then the van roars to life. Finnick locks eyes with his partner, looking, for once, the totality of his 49 years.  
“I need a drink.”  
Nick is tired, and fed up with this whole family, but more than that, “I need two.”  
Finnick nods solemnly, and pulls out of the back lot, heading, no doubt, for their usual spot.


	10. Judy

Judy is awake well before her 5:30 wake up time, excitement swirling in her tiny body. She stays in bed, watching the predawn sky through her window, contemplating the day ahead. She’ll officially be a cop again. That thought sits well, feels right. Judy Hopps, Police Officer.  
She has her alarm silenced before it’s even halfway through it’s first bleet, but that apparently isn’t soon enough. As she stands in her window, smiling at her view of Zootopia, she hears movement next door. She winces preemptively. So much for a peaceful morning.  
“TURN THAT RACKET OFF!” Definitely Pronk, who seems to be the lighter sleeper of the two. Or, she suspects, an early riser with nothing better to do. _Who yells a full minute after the noise has stopped?_  
“WHU-WHODA?! WHERE!? WHAZ HAPPEN?” Of course, Bucky has the habit of screaming even as he wakes.  
“GO BACK TO BED HONEY, IT’S JUST THE BUNNY, WAKING US UP, AGAIN.” She could always tell Pronk by the flat tone of his indignation.  
“WHAT’RE YOU TALKING ABOUT? YOU WOKE ME UP, JERK!”  
“I DID NOT”  
“YOU DID TOO! I BET JUDY’S NOT EVEN AWAKE YET!”  
“I am awake Bucky, just getting ready,” Judy contributes, figuring she could at least nip that portion of the argument in the bud.  
“OF COURSE SHE’S AWAKE, IDIOT, SHE’S GOT THAT ‘IMPORTANT’ MEETING TODAY” Pronk was also the only one of the two who could manage to enunciate sarcastic quotation marks at full volume.  
“IT IS IMPORTANT! YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS SHE GET BACK ON THE FORCE!”  
Judy smiles at Bucky’s support, and grabs her earbuds to dull the sound of her neighbours. While she has more than enough time to get ready, she doesn’t want to risk getting sucked in to another of their arguments. They are strangely irresistible, while completely frustrating.  
She eyes her runners, but figures today would not be the best day to take up her morning jogs again. Got to keep her eyes on the prize: a clean bill of health, and full reinstatement.  
Judy is ready to leave her apartment just as the sky is beginning to brighten. She decides she’ll try Mallory’s breakfast, to see if it rivals supper.  
Before she pockets her phone as she heads out the door, she notices two texts from Nick, sent two hours apart, one late the night before, the next in the very early hours of the day.  
[Good luck on your first day back. Try not to end all crime, you’ll be out of a job ;)]  
[Please be safe]


	11. Nick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday again!  
> I started this last year, on my 30th, and I can't believe a whole year has passed and I've still not finished.  
> I thought at least I should make sure I got a chapter out today.  
> 

Nick wakes up to an incredibly intense headache. It hurts so much it feels like his head is ringing.  
It takes him several rings to realize the ringing is external to his head, and is in fact not a symptom, but one of the causes, of his headache.  
It is also the reason he is awake.  
Nick rolls over in bed, patting around himself in the hopes that his phone is close at hand.  
Then the ringing stops.  
Nick lies in half slumber, still in intense pain, trying to convince himself he should get out of bed to go find painkillers. And maybe find that phone, so if whoever was calling called back he could tell them off before they hung up.  
Unable to muster the energy to move, Nick is relieved to realize he is instead falling back asleep. He lets sleep take him, hoping time will fix his head while he’s out for the count.

The second time the ringing wakes him he’s able to identify what’s happening immediately. His headache has not dissipated, and instead is somehow more focused, but that helps him gather the wits to sit up in bed and look for his phone.  
Beside the bed sit his pants in a crumpled pile, and Nick dives for them in what turns out to be a poorly thought out move. He ends up on the floor, dizzy, riffling through his pockets. _Must answer before they hang up._  
His phones tumbles out onto the floor, and rather than pick it up, Nick brings his head to it, stretching out on the cool ground beside his phone as he swipes indiscriminately at the screen to answer the call.  
He hears the click as the call connects, and says, his voice crackling with first use, “Never call here again.”  
He intends to hang up then, end the call dramatically, but he’s lying beside the phone on the floor, and as much as he taps blindly at his screen, the call does not seem to be cutting out. He hates the mammal on the other end of the line, and despairs that they don’t even know.  
“Hello?” a familiar and well-liked voice emerges from the phone.  
This changes everything.  
“Hello,” Nick echoes happily, wondering if he can fall back asleep on the cold floor, which is strangely soothing. The headache can’t follow him when he sleeps.  
“Nick, are you there?” _Carrots._  
Nick opens his eyes fully and rolls onto his back, groaning. He is awake. He is in pain.  
“Nick?”  
“No, Nick is dead,” he answer weakly, clearing his throat, which feels very dry. He blinks his eyes in a daze, fighting the pull to fall back asleep.  
“Oh no,” Judy’s distant voice suddenly takes on a note of despair that well matches the way he feels. “Oh, you were asleep weren’t you?”  
Nick is happy there’s someone to share in how terrible he feels, though he isn’t sure how his headache is affecting her through the phone. _You aren’t awake, dummy._  
He decides to try listening to her words as well as her tone.  
“I’m so sorry Nick, I totally spaced on the fact that you sleep late. What a jerk, I woke you up. You just go back to sleep, okay? I’m so sorry I called. I was just so upset I didn’t think, I just dialled. Go back to sleep, message me when you wake up.”  
“No,” Nick glares at the ceiling in irritation.  
“No? Okay, I guess, I’ll just try calling you later. Anyway, I’ll let you sleep now.”  
“No,” Nick repeats, frustrated Judy isn’t understanding him.  
“No I won’t let you sleep now?” Judy wonders, “don’t you want to go to sleep?”  
“Yes.”  
“Okay so then, I’ll just get off the phone.”  
Nick clears his throat, “why were you so upset?”  
“I don’t want to bother you with it now. If you need to go back to sleep, I don’t want to keep you awake.”  
“If I’m going to fall back asleep, then I’ll fall back asleep. You talking won’t change that. So you might as well tell me what’s bothering you, and distract me from my pain while I’m awake.”  
“Are you sure, because I find-”  
“-Talk Carrots,” Nick orders, draping his arm across his eyes to block out the sunlight pouring in through the bedroom window. He seems to have woken up at Lysander’s, though he doesn’t remember arriving.  
“Okay, for one, why do you sound so far away?” Judy asks, and Nick groans, twisting to pick his phone up off the floor.  
“Is this better?” he asks, holding it against the side of his face.  
“Yes, much.”  
“Good.”  
“Two, what’s wrong with your voice?”  
“Dehydrated. Now get to explaining already. You didn’t call to find out about the state of my hangover.”  
“Oh.” She clearly hadn’t been expecting that. He can hear her wanting to ask another question, or maybe offer once more to let him go back to sleep.  
“What happened today Carrots?”  
“Well,” Judy starts hesitantly, and Nick holds back an irritated growl. His headache isn’t her fault, she didn’t make him drink so much last night. He waits her out.  
“I had that appointment with the doctor, to sign my paperwork,” she finally begins, and Nick’s mind is already jumping ahead. Of course, her first day back, and it somehow went wrong. “And he wouldn’t just sign it.”  
“Is your wound okay?” Nick croaks with concern.  
“My leg is fine,” Judy replies with irritation, though not directed at him.  
“Your diagnosis or the doctors?” Nick clarifies skeptically.  
Judy makes a irate clicking sound, and Nick suspects some of the irritation is now directed at him, “the doctor agrees my leg is fine Nick.”  
“So what’s the holdup?”  
“Well he insisted on reading the full form over before signing it and he got hung up on the wording. Well one word really.”  
“Which was?”  
“Mentally.”  
Nick snorts and then coughs to cover the noise.  
Judy pauses for a moment, and then continues, “apparently he had to sign to the effect that it was his professional opinion that I was physically and mentally healthy enough to carry out my duties.”  
Nick chuckles openly, not even trying to mask it with a cough.  
“Are you laughing Nick?” Judy’s irritation is definitely directed at him now.  
“No, well yes,” Nick chuckles, his arm still covering his eyes. “I mean, you have to admit it’s a bit funny. It’s sort of implied that this doctor thought you’re too crazy to do your job.”  
“That isn’t what I said.”  
“No, but that’s what came to mind.” Nick chuckles, and then winces as the pounding in his head gets stronger. He needs to find relief soon. He tries to prepare himself for the task of getting up and dressed. It isn’t appealing.  
“Why, do you think I’m crazy?” Judy now sounds properly annoyed.  
“I don’t know Carrots,” Nick whines as he sits up, feeling the floor spinning beneath him. “I’m delirious. Leave me alone, I’m in a lot of pain, and I’m dizzy now too.” He moans and reaches for his nearby pants, struggling to pull them on.  
“Self inflicted pain,” Judy replies with very little sympathy in her voice.  
_Admitting it was a hangover was a mistake._ Judy was clearly of the opinion that those suffering the consequences of too much drink were to be afforded less, not more, sympathy.  
Nick clears his throat again and spots a glass of water sitting on the floor beside the bed. A clairvoyant mammal must have foreseen his dehydration.  
He reaches for it as he asks, “so what exactly was his problem with signing the paper?” He then downs the entire glass, hoping it’ll begin to help.  
“Well as he was examining me, we chatted. I was trying to be amiable. We ended up chatting briefly about what happened at the museum, and now he’s convinced I must have experienced some sort of trauma, and he wants me examined by a psychologist before I resume active duty. I told him we have a precinct counsellor, so he didn’t need to worry, and instead he wrote right on the form that I’m cleared for duty pending a successful appointment with said counsellor. And then he signed.”  
That doesn’t seem so ridiculous to Nick. He and Judy had been through a terrifying ordeal.  
He knows better than to voice that, “there’s a precinct therapist?”  
“Yeah, all police departments have an assigned mental health professional, to provide support and treatment for officers.”  
“For when they go through traumatic events?” Nick asks, standing to look for his shirt.  
“Exactly.”  
“Like we did last week?”  
There is silence on the line. Then, “I feel totally fine.”  
“Then what’s the harm in seeing someone?” Nick knows he is being hypocritical, as he wouldn’t dream of ever confiding in some head doctor, or anyone really, but he’s surprised at Judy’s attitude. He’s also surprised he can’t find his shirt. He decides pain relief takes precedence, and heads for the bedroom door.  
“There’s no harm obviously. But the soonest I can been seen is this Wednesday,” Judy explains.  
“Right, so you’ll have to wait two whole days,” Nick tries not to sound too sarcastic as he makes his way down the hall towards the nearby guest bathroom. He can hear someone moving about in the kitchen, but otherwise the penthouse is still.  
“Yeah. I just wish Clawhauser had warned me this could happen.” Judy doesn’t seem to have picked up on his sarcasm. “I would have scheduled a preemptive appointment. As it is I had to turn up and tell chief Bogo I couldn’t come back yet.”  
“He must have been very disappointed.”  
Judy chuckles, finally, “yeah right. He barely responded to the news.”  
“Well it’s just another two days Carrots, surely you can survive that.” Nick’s riffling through the medicine cabinet produces only a package of antacids and a small container of baby aspirin. He downs several antacids, and bends to drink water from the sink.  
“I guess,” she answers without enthusiasm.  
“You can always hang out with the neighbours again,” Nick suggests, considering the baby aspirin, before deciding he can do better, and putting them away with the antacids. He shuts the cabinet door and examines himself in the mirror. He looks tired, and sickly, and old.  
“No thank you,” Judy replies with mirth in her voice, and Nick smiles at himself in the mirror. At least he’s managed to cheer her up.  
“Well as much as I’d love to keep chatting on this fine morning Carrots,” Nick says, moving towards the toilet sitting opposite the bathroom sink, “I’m in desperate need of a pee, so I’m going to have to go.”  
“Oh, okay,” Judy answers quickly, obviously caught off guard, “real quick, are you free today?”  
“Nope, today is pawpsicle day,” Nick volunteers, too tired and pained to bother with secrecy.  
“Aha! Then I know where you’ll be, so I can just show up there if I want to.” Judy sounds triumphant in his ear, and his bladder is starting to yell at him.  
“Afraid not Carrots, we won’t be heading to Jumbeaux’s today. See you.” Nick ends the call before she can ask where they will be.  
Moments later he heads for the kitchen, hoping a good breakfast will settle his stomach.  
Lysander is bustling around his large open concept kitchen, singing to himself off key, and Nick has to take care to avoid being stepped on.  
“Oh Nicholas, I didn’t see you there!” the sun bear exclaims upon nearly colliding with Nick, a look of pure delight on his face. Lysander looks typically regal, despite his bloodshot eyes and navy blue housecoat. “Would you like some breakfast?” he offers cheerfully, still moving around the room.  
“Sure,” Nick replies, climbing up to stand on a stool.  
Standing he’s able to lean his arms against the counter and watch safely as Lysander moves quickly around the kitchen, talking mostly to himself.  
“Where’s Regina?” Nick asks, as the bear rummages in his enormous fridge.  
“Who?”  
Nick rolls his eyes, “your cook?” And his best hope for good pain killers.  
“Oh, of course,” Lysander says as understanding dawns, “I gave her to Melissa, in an effort to win her back.”  
“Well that was nice of you,” Nick is unsurprised by Lysander’s choice of words.  
He decides not to ask about the ongoing saga that is the sun bear’s relationship the temperamental Melissa, and lowers his breakfast expectations considerably. One of his favourite things about the penthouse had always been the live in cook.  
“It’s no problem, I needed her out of the way anyway. You see Nicholas,” Lysander announces, spinning to carry several items, half of which are forms of honey, over to the counter Nick leans on, “I’ve decided to master the art of cooking.”  
Nick surveys the kitchen, noting the extensive mess already covering most surfaces. “Who’s going to clean all this?”  
Lysander shrugs unconcernedly, “Rita, I guess, whenever I finish.”  
Well at least he hadn’t given away the cleaning lady.  
“What happened to being an inventor?” Nick probes, careful to keep judgement out of his voice.  
“I’m still tinkering with some ideas, in my lab, but I recently realized that my true calling in life is culinary visionary. After all, I love eating.”  
“Sound logic,” Nick nods appreciatively, “and what about your writing?”  
“Well, I’ve also put that aside, for now, but as all other things in life, this can only be further inspiration for my novel. One can have more than one occupation, Nicholas,” Lysander pronounces haughtily, as he proceeds to light the burner adjacent to his sauce pan. Nick watches the open flame flickering as Lysander wanders back to a bowl sitting near the fridge.  
“You do love to try different ‘occupations’.” Lysander didn’t seem to distinguish between the terms occupation and hobby. Inventing, writing, prospecting, hang gliding, and now cooking were just some of his many hobbies. Lysander’s only true occupation was being the respectable son of a wealthy honey baron. He liked to experiment with different careers in order to keep himself from becoming ‘idle’. His longest and most recurrent hypothetical occupation was novelist, and it was during one of his bouts of literary aspirations that he’d first invited Nick to stay over whenever he liked. He’d declared Nick a veritable font of stories, perfect for mining for his novel.  
“And I like to think I succeed at all of them,” Lysander replies, with only a hint of self-awareness in his booming voice.  
Nick watches as the bear stirs happily at the contents of the bowl. He stops and leans forward to dip one digit of his large claw into the bowl, before bringing it, dripping with something thick and opaque, to his mouth.  
“More honey,” he murmurs to himself, grabbing for the one of the many golden jars within his reach. After more stirring and sampling, he comes back towards Nick, holding the bowl aloft proudly.  
“We are having waffles on this fine morning! Served with a warm peach compote, and honey, obviously.”  
“Wow! Waffles,” Nick glances around the kitchen, looking for a waffle iron.  
For once, Lysander seems aware of Nick’s thought process. “Unfortunately I can’t seem to locate where Regina keeps the waffle iron. We may end up having pancakes.”  
“I love pancakes.”  
“Good, though I’m not quite prepared at the moment to admit defeat.”  
“Have you tried the pantry?” Nick offers, pondering where Regina might keep a rarely used appliance.  
“I have not! Good thinking Nicholas,” Lysander booms, slamming the bowl onto the counter and rushing off to search the pantry.  
Alone in the kitchen, Nick tries to remember how he’d arrived at the penthouse the night before. He usually tried to limit how frequently he crashed at Lysander’s, so as to avoid ever wearing out his welcome, and to maintain the appropriate air of mystery. The worst thing a mammal could become in the sun bear’s eyes was mundane.  
“Success!” comes Lysander’s voice from the pantry.  
The dark brown bear rushes back into the room holding an intimidating contraption in his paws.  
“Hey, what time did I show up last night?” Nick asks, hiding his anxiety by tapping a staccato on the counter top.  
“Oh, ho, you don’t remember, do you?” the bear crows delightedly as he sets the appliance down in front of Nick. He bends to plug it in, and then stands up again, grinning at the smaller mammal. “You were in rare form last night Nicholas. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so deep in your cups.”  
Nick winces, “I hope I wasn’t a pain.”  
“Hardly,” the bear replies sincerely, “I was pleased to finally see you in such a state. You’ve often seen me at my worst. Why I’m sure I can’t recall even half of our conversations!”  
“I didn’t know I was so boring,” Nick jokes, trying to loosen the tight knot inside his gut.  
“Never my friend,” laughs the bear, “my failures of memory are only ever due to intoxication.”  
Nick smiles, and refocuses the conversation, “so, I just showed up?”  
“You really haven’t an inkling?”  
“Nope,” Nick grins to hide how uncomfortable that idea makes him.  
“We ran into each other on 43rd, as I was heading to an after party.”  
“What was I doing down around there?” Nick wonders, mostly to himself.  
“I don’t know, I couldn’t make sense of what you were saying. Possibly looking for an all night grocery store.”  
“What?”  
Lysander straightens up and beams at the waffle maker, apparently finished in his preparations.  
“I think we are ready to begin,” he announces.  
He grabs the bowl containing what Nick is now positive is waffle batter and scoops a laddleful into the open waffle iron, closing and rotating the appliance with relish. He looks to Nick for validation, and Nick tries to muster enthusiasm.  
“Great. But hey, if we could just circle back for a moment, to last night?” Nick wants to get as much information out of Lysander before he gets distracted and forgets.  
The sun bear frowns in confusion, and then grins broadly, “Oh right, what you were up to before we crossed paths.”  
“Yeah, I can’t imagine why I’d be in that part of town in the middle of the night. I doubt I was looking to grocery shop.” Nick didn’t exactly have a kitchen of his own in which to stock groceries.  
“Well you kept mumbling about carrots, so I presume you were looking for a vegetable shop.”  
Nick’s blood slows in his veins. Judy lives near 43rd. He struggles to keep the dread off his face, but luckily Lysander is too busy watching the steam rising from the waffle iron to pay him any attention.  
After a moment Nick swallows, and clarifies, “I kept talking about carrots?”  
“Yes, I couldn’t really hear you very well in the cacophony of the party, but I think it was something to do with vegetables. Probably some new business venture.”  
“I went with you to the party?”  
“Well yes, I mean, once we met up, I knew it was fate. I’d resigned myself to arriving empty-pawed, and then you appeared. You were meant to come with me to the Lunexes after party. Everyone loved you, by the way. Ginny Emerson insisted I invite you to her next event.”  
Nick isn’t sure how to feel about that. “Well that’s nice.”  
“Do you know you told her the same story 4 different times? Something about a rowboat and a red wheelbarrow, and she loved it every time. She kept insisting you tell it to a new audience.”  
“Really?” He often made up stories when in Lysander’s company, though he usually made a point of remembering them. He’d have to make sure he didn’t run into this Ginny Emerson character again, lest she realize it was a complete fabrication.  
“Yes, as I said, you were in rare form last night. I think you should indulge like that more often Nicholas, really cut loose. It reveals the real you.” Lysander decrees, prodding Nick in the shoulder with his massive claw.  
_You wouldn’t know the real me if I ran up and bit you in the face._ “I’ll take that into consideration in the future.”  
“Good”  
“Though I’m not sure this headache was worth it.” Nick closes his eyes and rests his head on the counter, enjoying how cool the marble feels.  
“Ahh, you suffer,” Lysander nods knowingly. “I’m glad anyway, because you are normally long gone by the time I wake up.”  
Lysander tended to sleep late, even for a nocturnal mammal.  
“At least one of us is happy.”  
“I’m glad because the reason I insisted you stay here last night was in the hopes I’d finally have an audience to cook for.”  
Nick squints at the bear curiously, and waits for him to continue.  
“You see, I sent Regina away nearly a week ago, and I’d yet to try anything more than the basics. It hardly seemed worth it to create anything if there would be no one around to witnesses it. What if I made something amazing?”  
“Then this is your first attempt?” Nick asks, watching at the larger mammal opens the waffle maker to remove the first waffle.  
“Indeed.” The bear pries the waffle out of the metal contraption, tipping in onto a plate which he slides across the counter towards Nick. “You shall have the first one.”  
Nick observes the massive waffle with curiosity and more than a little dread. It’s an awfully large portion of something potentially terrible. His stomach rolls over when the smell hits him, and he reminds himself that food will help, regardless of what his nausea claims at the moment.  
Lysander slides him a smaller set of cutlery, watching expectantly as Nick digs in.  
“Wait!” he exclaims suddenly, before Nick can even get the first forkful to his mouth, “I’ve forgotten the warm peach compote!”  
The sun bear rushes to the stove, where he finally notices he’s lit the entirely wrong burner.  
“Oh my, it hasn’t reduced. And it’s cold,” he adds mournfully, sliding the sauce pan over top of the lit burner.  
“Should I wait?” Nick asks, still poised with the fork halfway to his mouth.  
“No no, you’ll have to make due with the honeys. The compote should be ready for the next waffle.”  
Nick looks down at the massive waffle he’s been served. He’s quite sure he won’t be having seconds. He grabs one of the bottles of honey on hand, and drizzles his waffle liberally. _Here goes nothing._

The waffles turn out to be delicious, and just what his stomach needed.  
Lysander had clearly done his homework, and when he insists, halfway through Nick’s waffle, on dumping some of the peach compote on top, it gets even better.  
Nick ends up having seconds, despite his bloated stomach. It helps that Lysander’s choice of meal caters to Nick’s substantial sweet tooth. The brown bear beams as he watches Nick eat, so focused he barely touches his own hot waffle.  
In fact, after Lysander takes his first bite, which he analyzes in detail, out loud, he mostly picks at his waffle absently, watching Nick eat instead, and brainstorming aloud what improvements could be made.  
The success of the meal really shouldn’t surprise Nick at this point. The truth was, Lysander possessed the intelligence, research habits, and resources to pull off most of the hobbies he took up. This made it interesting to watch him try, and did a lot to undercut how privileged and frivolous the bear’s life was. Competence served as an excellent deterrent for resentment.  
Nick enjoyed the sun bear’s company more than he’d ever be willing to let on. Lysander had a fascinating mind, and while his grasp on reality had never been particularly firm, he made up for it with his wit and generosity.  
Watching his wealthy acquaintance, Nick estimates this latest obsession will last at least three month. Struggling to make it even halfway through his second waffle, Nick decides to drop in more frequently while it lasts.  
He listens distractedly when Lysander turns to recounting stories of the night before, which centre mostly on the bear himself, and are obvious exaggerations. Nick glances at his phone surreptitiously under the edge of the counter.  
He has a text from Judy and an hour before he has to meet with Finnick.  
[There are only 5 elephant ice cream shops in the city.]  
Nick smiles at her determination. He isn’t terribly concerned, as she’s already aware of the entire pawpsicle scheme. It doesn’t matter much if she figures out where they’re buying today. Though it isn’t an ice cream shop.  
[You’re getting colder.]  
Once he sends his reply he glances up to ensure Lysander hasn’t noticed he isn’t listening.  
Lysander is watching him silently.  
Nick smiles apologetically and pockets his phone. “Sorry, just checking the time. I have an appointment in an hour.”  
Lysander gestures at Nick’s torso with his fork, “I assume you’ll be needing your shirt before venturing out.”  
“Oh, yes,” Nick replies, embarrassed.  
“Rita likely laundered it, since it’s no longer on the drawing room floor where you discarded it not long after we got in last night.”  
Nick frowns at the bear, that doesn’t sound like him.  
“To be fair, I was the one who spilt wine down your shoulder. I’m so clumsy sometimes.” The bear shrugs, and picks at his waffle some more. “I’m sure she’s left it hanging in the laundry room for you.”  
Nick is glad he didn’t waste more time looking for his button up. “Oh good.”  
“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’s gotten the stain out, the old girl’s a pro with wine. Were you there the night I spilt red all over Melissa’s silk Feronier gown?”  
Nick is pretty sure Rita is younger than Lysander, but he doesn’t bother pointing that out. “No, but you’ve told me about it.”  
“Well she was livid,” the bear begins, undeterred, “and positive the dress was ruined, but I told her-”  
Nick cuts Lysander off, before he can properly get started, “I’m sorry, I’m getting a bit chilly, I think I’ll run and get my shirt if you don’t mind.”  
“Oh of course.” Lysander smiles, dismissing Nick with a wave.  
“I’ll be right back,” Nick says, hopping down to the floor. He’s out of the room before he realizes he isn’t entirely sure where the laundry room is. He’s never had reason to visit it, and Lysander didn’t tend to entertain guests in there.  
Nick wanders towards the back of the penthouse, in the direction in which he most often sees Rita disappear. Maybe her small room is back here, near the laundry room. He checks his phone as he wanders.  
[I see, so it’s not an elephant place. Well there are only 4 Rhino ice cream parlours in the city]  
Nick smiles and replies. She’s still focuses on ice cream shops.  
[I’m not helping you Carrots]  
He stops to listen for sounds of movement, hoping to find Rita that way. All he hears is exuberant singing coming from the kitchen behind him.  
Then he detects another sound, fainter, and before he can determine which direction it’s coming from, his phone buzzes loudly in his paw.  
[Who says I need your help?]  
Nick pauses before he replies, listening attentively. The sound is rhythmic.  
[So you aren’t fishing for information?]  
It’s a dryer. He can hear the dryer. He follows the sound until he finds the laundry room, it’s door ajar. Rita is nowhere to be seen, but his shirt is hanging, neatly pressed, behind the door. He slips it on quickly.  
Nick is rummaging through the cabinet above the washing machine when her reply comes in, hoping to find quality pain killers.  
[Not at all]  
[Then I suppose you wouldn’t care to know you are as cold as ever]  
Nick heads back to the kitchen, resigned to asking Lysander for pain killers, knowing the bear will insist he try whatever all natural hangover remedy he currently favours. It’ll probably taste wretched. 

Nick finds the van parked around the corner from Hyper Hippo Hoops, vibrating with the baseline of a song that is vaguely familiar. He taps lightly on the driver side window, and Finnick glances at him over the rims of his sunglasses before rolling the window down.  
Nick winces as loud rap pours out the open window. He glares at his partner, who silences the radio.  
“You’re late.”  
“I am not,” Nick dismisses, pointing at the van’s dash clock meaningfully.  
Finnick shrugs, “well, you look terrible.” Finnick’s demeanour is never improved by a hangover. At least Nick isn’t the only one suffering.  
“So do you,” Nick counters, running his claws through his fur in a last ditch effort to smooth it out, and gesturing for Finnick to get out of the van. “Let’s go.”  
Finnick throws his door open, nearly swiping Nick, and hops out, zipping up his hippo onesie and tossing his shades onto his empty seat.  
“Let’s get this over with.” His deep voice and red rimed eyes make his costume appear even more ridiculous. Nick’s head still hurts too much for laughter. It’s probably for the best.  
“Quiet buddy.” Nick replies in his best dad voice, grabbing Finnick’s paw to lead him towards the corner.  
He feels his partner tense, wanting to rip his paw away, but they have a job to do. The small fox settles for squeezing Nick’s paw painfully.  
Nick grins through it, “Pacifier.”  
The grip on his paw tightens at the smug reminder, but the fennec pulls a pacifier out of his pocket and pops it into his mouth. Nick smiles at him triumphantly.  
They round the corner, and ahead of them a group of young hippos are rushing out the arcade door, talking excitedly while clutching their assorted prizes to their chests.  
The two foxes wait for them to clear the doorway before heading inside, wary of being stepped on in the busy arcade.  
They make their way directly to the consignment stand, dodging exuberant giants who seem oblivious to anyone under a certain height.  
Nick’s reflexes aren’t at their best, and twice he comes close to getting trampled, before Finnick pulls him out of harms way. Were it not for the pacifier, his partner would no doubt be yelling.  
As they are waiting in the concession stand line, Nick’s phone rings, and he reaches for it in his pocket without thinking.  
It’s Judy, and he swipes right to answer, before Finnick tugs on his arm and glares at him significantly. He’s on the job.  
He nods, embarrassed, and hangs up, shoving the device back into his pants pocket.  
“NEXT!”  
Nick realizes with a start that’s them, and rushes forward, pulling his ‘son’ along.  
“Hey there.” He announces cheerfully, waving to gain the attendant’s attention.  
The grey hippo looks down in alarm. “What’re you doing in here? You’re going to get crushed!”  
“I was just looking to buy a blue jumbo pop for my son.” Nick explains, smiling haplessly at the mammal behind the cash register.  
The hippo’s frown deepens, but she seems more concerned than angry. “Whatever,” she exclaims in exasperation, turning to reach into the freezer behind her. Nick pulls out his wallet, grabbing the needed cash.  
“Here,” the hippo holds out the massive blue popsicle impatiently, and Nick reaches for it, letting go of Finnick’s paw. “That’ll be fifteen bucks.”  
Nick hands her the cash, and turns to pass Finnick the popsicle. He can’t wait to unload the weight. “Here you go buddy!” Finnick takes it, making a show of looking excited.  
“You really shouldn’t be in here,” she scolds, glaring at Nick, “you’re going to get your boy killed.”  
“Sorry Ma’am, he just loves everything hippo,” Nick explains, and the large mammal seems to finally register his partner’s costume. Her expression softens considerably. She watches the tiny fox pretend to struggle with the weight of the frozen dessert for a moment, before opening up a panel in the counter. “Get in here,” she urges.  
They don’t need to be asked twice. He and Finnick are soon scrambling through a storage area after the hippo. Walking past the stored merchandise, Nick is glad Finnick’s paws are full. He worries the tiny criminal couldn’t resist swiping some, and the clerk is doing them a favour, leaving her till unattended. She ushers them out the back door, into the quiet alley behind the arcade.  
“I didn’t want you walking back through all those running kids.” She explains, her attention completely fixed on Finnick, who remembers to stumble with a child’s gait. “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing?” She coos, bending down peer into Finnick’s face.  
Nick hopes the fennec’s eyes aren’t too bloodshot.  
Finnick blinks exaggeratedly at the large hippo, and she turns to smile at Nick. “What a little cutie. I better get back.” She rushes back towards the exit they’d just used.  
“Thank you so much, you are too kind.” Nick enthuses, waving cheerfully and feeling like a dope.  
“Bye now,” she trills, looking back at Finnick once again, who is holding his popsicle steadfastly. Then she’s gone.  
“You are too kind,” Finnick mocks, his deep voice pitched higher to resemble Nick’s. He stomps towards the main street, no longer struggling with the weight of the icy treat.  
Nick follows, shrugging, “it got the job done. Hey, maybe we can hit this place again next week.”  
Finnick grunts in response.  
Nick rolls his eyes and pulls out his phone. Judy is probably still hazarding guesses. He supposes he might inform her they’ve acquired the goods. Why waste her time with more guessing?  
[Was that an arcade I heard in the background?]  
Nick is a little impressed despite himself.  
[But which one?]  
He trails his partner waiting for her reply.  
[No point in speculating now, I’m sure you’ll have the pawpsicle soon if you don’t already]  
Nick picks up the pace as they near the van, managing to get the van door open for Finnick in time for him to deposit the pawpsicle into one of the bins they have waiting in the back.  
He types his reply as he walks back towards the passenger door.  
[So you assume we succeeded first try?]  
Finnick peels off his hood, dons his shades and glances at Nick.  
Nick nods, “Burnside’s again.”  
Finnick starts the car with no comment and pulls away from the curb.  
Nick’s phone buzzes.  
[Are you saying you aren’t good at your job?]  
Nick wonders if her use of the word job is in anyway sarcastic. Probably not.  
[I’m just saying gullible bunny cops aren’t always there to save me] 

His phone rings again while he and Finnick are loading jars of melted jumbo pop into the van. He decides to answer, leaving Finnick to get the last two jars.  
“Hello Carrots,” he greets warmly, before realizing his mistake and freezing. He glances surreptitiously at his partner to see if he’s heard him, but the fennec is tuned out, grumbling as he heads for the last two jars sitting by the drain pipe. _Good._  
“Wait,” Judy says urgently, and Nick freezes again, holding his breath and quickly glancing back to Finnick again, who is knocking the two jars together trying to pick them up.  
After several moments of silence, he realizes what she’s doing. “Are you trying to listen to the background noise to figure out where I am?”  
“Of course not.” Judy’s immediate reply almost sounds sincere. Nick grins.  
There is silence on the line again, this time only half a minute, and he’s sure he can hear her ears twitching. “Alright, I’m going to get off the phone then.”  
“Whatever, I have all the information I need.” He can hear the smirk in her voice, but he’s still surprised when he hears the click. _She hung up on me?_  
Nick laughs full volume as he walks towards the passenger side of the van, knowing Finnick will have questions once they are on their way, and not caring.

He and Finnick are more than halfway through pouring blue syrup into rows of paw prints when his phone rings again. He steps away to answer, tucking the jar under his arm.  
“You know Carrots,” he whispers by way of greeting, “that doc might not have been wrong about you. You seem to have obsessive tendencies.”  
When Judy doesn’t reply, he presses on, “I mean really, what kind of healthy adult devotes this much time to stalking her own friend? A very bored one I’d guess, perhaps with a detective complex?” He wonders if that even exists. _Probably not._  
“You sure are smug for an idiot standing in snow holding what I’m guessing is blueberry flavoured sugar water.” Judy finally speaks.  
“Ah I see, you were listening for the crunch of snow,” Nick whispers glancing back over his shoulder to make sure Finnick is still placing sticks into his tiny paw prints, out of ear shot, “I’m going to stop answering my phone if you, wait, did you just say blueberry?”  
“Well, I mean, what other fruit is blue?” Nick catalogues the street rapidly, soon spotting her figure across the street. She waves.  
He is more surprised than pleased. “It’s uh, it’s actually,” he clears his throat, “it’s raspberry.”  
“You don’t say. Those aren’t blue.” Judy starts to cross the street, and Nick finally realizes why a part of him feels alarmed. “Wait,” he urges her, and Judy stops.  
“Nick, you know I don’t ca-”  
“-Stop,” he says, more emphatically, his mind racing. He is aware now that Finnick has stopped pouring and is instead watching his back intently. He checks the volume of his remaining syrup, and reminds himself that the fennec can’t see over the snow bank.  
“Meet me behind the van in 6 minutes,” he whispers, then hangs up.  
He turns back towards Finnick, theatrically shrugging his shoulders. “Vixens,” he says rolling his eyes.  
“I know what you mean,” the small fox replies, stepping backwards to form a new set of pawpsicle molds.  
Nick quickly portions out the remainder of his syrup, watching his partner surreptitiously. The small fox seems unconcerned.  
“Going to get another,” Nick informs him as he holds out his empty jar, turning to make towards the van. Finnick grunts in reply, and Nick relaxes. He strides across the street whistling, grinning as he nears the van.  
He finds Judy standing behind it, looking worried.  
“Hey,” he greets her jovially, feeling a little giddy.  
“Oh Nick, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I thought, well, I thought it would be funny if I-”  
“-Hey!” Nick reiterates, locking eyes with Judy. She falls silent. Nick continues, “I said ‘Hey’, aren’t you going to return my greeting?”  
“Hey?”  
“Perfect. And by the way, this,” Nick gestures with a circular motion, “is both funny and awesome.”  
Judy looks dubious.  
“I just realized, just there in the snow, that it would alarm Finnick mightily if it turned out a cop had been tracking us. A cop I am friends with, and had been on the phone with all day,” he elaborates, and Judy nods in understanding.  
“But I am always glad to see you, and that line about me being an idiot in the snow was classic.”  
Judy smiles back, “I’m glad my efforts are appreciated.”  
“I mean, I would’ve appreciated it more if you’d brought me a coffee, or a hot chocolate. You know, it’s cold out here.”  
Judy chuckles, “You think you deserve hot chocolate?”  
“I always deserve hot chocolate Carrots. I just mostly don’t get it. Life is cruel that way.”  
“Obviously.”  
Nick hands her the empty glass jar and opens the van door, reaching in to grab two more full jars. He nods his head towards the open door, and Judy leans into the van to set down the empty jar. He studies her carefully. She notices.  
“Are you okay Carrots?”  
Judy looks away, embarrassed, “yeah, I’m fine, I was just bored and it seemed like a fun puzzle to solve, and I didn’t think-”  
“-cause it’s only two days,” Nick says quietly, watching her.  
Judy rolls her eyes, “I know that. Honestly Nick, I’m fine.”  
“You know that therapist isn’t going to have anything bad to say.”  
Judy seems taken aback, watches him silently.  
“You are a cop,” Nick goes on, smiling ruefully, "they’ll see that. Guaranteed.”  
“Thanks Nick.”  
“I mean, this is what you do for fun? Classic nosy cop. That and you clearly have no life.”  
“As if you have one.”  
“I really shouldn’t be used as any sort of indication of health, in any respect. I mean, I’m currently hiding my friend from my business partner for reasons I haven’t fully examined,” Nick jokes, shifting the jars he holds to get a better grip. “Speaking of which, I should get back, before he gets suspicious.”  
“Right.”  
“But, we’re doing supper tonight, yeah?”  
“Oh, sure.” Judy’s smile, as if she’s found unexpected candy, makes Nick want to hug her. Instead he begins walking around the van.  
“I mean, you should be rewarded for your efforts.”  
“And your company counts as a reward?”  
“Obviously. I’ll be done by about 6. I’ll text you where to meet me.”  
“Sounds good.”  
Nick whistles as he walks back across the street.  
“What’re you so happy about?” Finnick enquires, for first time that day sounding more curious than irritated.  
“Oh I don’t know. It just feels like good day.”  
Further evidence of this is the considered nod the tiny fox gives him in return. _Guess his hangover is gone._

“Carrots, it’s been ages!” He exclaims, sliding into the seat across from her. He’d guess by the state of her water and cutlery that she’d been there at least 15 minutes. She must have been right nearby when she got his text.  
Judy chuckles, “I’d been about to say ‘I haven’t seen you in ages’, but you beat me to it.”  
“Great minds.”  
Judy points at the menu sitting open in front of him. Hers is already closed. “Figure out what you want. I’ve already decided.”  
“Don’t rush me, I need to carefully read the whole thing to figure out what I want.” Nick makes a show of perusing the menu slowly. Judy groans.  
“I’m hungry. I don’t normally eat this late.”  
Nick ignores her and begins humming and hawing.  
“Don’t be a jerk, we both know you already know what you want. I’m sure you have a favourite here, and I bet I could even guess what it is.”  
“Hah, shows what you know,” Nick taunts, not looking up, “I’ve never been here before, so I don’t have a favourite.”  
“You haven’t?”  
“Nope, I just googled restaurants closest to where I was going to end up, and then chose the one with the least alarming name.”  
“I see, so it was well researched.”  
“Nothing but the best for my friend. I’m guessing you’re the type to carefully read all the customer reviews.”  
“I mean, that’s what they are there for.”  
Nick chuckles and flips over the menu to examine the back. “So what would you think my favourite is? Don’t tell me you’d just guess whatever option has blueberries.”  
“Nothing has blueberries, and that wouldn’t be a terrible strategy.”  
“Then what do you think I’ll order?”  
“I’m not telling you. Then you’ll avoid ordering it, just to prove me wrong.”  
“I’m not that petty.”  
“You are. Tell me what you’re going to order, and then I’ll tell you if I was right.”  
Nick stops reading his menu at that. “See, that’s a flawed system,” he points out, flipping the menu over again. He narrows his eyes at Judy, “I’m just supposed to take your word for it?”  
“Fine,” Judy says, fishing out her phone, “I’ll text you my guess, and you just won’t look until after we order.”  
“Deal.” Nick spends the next 15 minutes trying to figure out what Judy’s guess is in order to avoid ordering it. After the server finally comes and takes their order, Nick is quick to check on his phone.  
[Food]  
Nick nearly chokes on his water.

As they wait for their food, Judy details her day, focusing mostly on her detective work.  
“What I want to know,” Judy ventures eventually, “is who bought you the jumbo pop today?”  
Nick blinks in surprise, “Well, no one.”  
“Oh, so that isn’t part of the hustle? The bit about forgetting your wallet?”  
Nick leans back in his seat, grinning at the rabbit across from him. “Nope, I could just tell you were a sucker when I met you, and I couldn’t help myself.”  
“A sucker?” Judy shakes her head, dismissing the label. “Because I give people the benefit of the doubt? I prefer to think of myself as an optimist.”  
“Same thing,” Nick grins wider.  
“Said the pessimist,” Judy retorts.  
“I consider myself a realist actually.”  
Judy snorts derisively, “and I don’t? Everyone considers themselves a realist Nick. No one walks around thinking they misperceive reality. That’s a nonsense statement.”  
“Fine,” Nick concedes, “then I’m a pessimist, but with good cause.”  
“I can live with that,” Judy responds, as their food arrives. “I’m glad you got fries, mine only came with a salad.”  
“If you think I’m sharing, you really are an optimist.”  
Judy laughs as she plucks a fry from his plate. “It isn’t really up to you is it?”  
Nick examines her meal for something worth stealing, and finding nothing, settles for dipping his index claw in his glass of water and flicking it at Judy. It’s incredibly childish, but very satisfying.  
“Ugh, Nick, gross!” Judy reaches up to wipe away droplets scattered across her face.  
“Don’t cross me Carrots.”  
Judy narrows her eyes at him, then indicates her glass of carrot juice with a grin.  
“You wouldn’t.”  
“Want to find out?” There is something entirely too gleeful in her voice.  
Nick rotates his plate so the fries face her. “Your fries madam.”  
Judy cackles maniacally and chooses another, “don’t worry, I’ll let you have some too.”  
“You are too good to me.”

They are almost done their meal when Nick makes an announcement.  
“Okay, we are having movie night tonight.”  
“We are?”  
“Yup, definitely,” he says decisively, feeling cocky. “Now, you have a TV, right?”  
Judy gives him an dubious look. “A very small one, yes.”  
“How small is small?”  
Judy holds out her arms in an approximation of the set size. “I’d say, like this. Really, the size of my head.”  
“That is small,” Nick doesn’t mean to sound judgemental. It’s not like he has a TV of his own.  
“Well it’s a cheap portable I bought at a flea market, that day after our debrief.”  
So it won’t have any built in players. “Alright,” Nick says after a moment, “I’ll have to solve that one then.” Judy seems skeptical of the way he brushes the issue aside, like procuring a TV is an everyday thing. For all she knows it could be.  
“Also Nick,” Judy points out, “I’m pretty tired. I was up before the sun today.”  
“Well that was dumb of you.”  
Judy ignores him, “Nonetheless, I don’t think I’ll be making it much past 8, giving us little time for a movie night.”  
Nick shrugs unconcernedly, “well then we’ll have to get some coffee into you.” He looks around for the server, “because this is happening tonight.”  
“Oh it is, is it?” He’s pretty sure the fact that she’s amused by his presumption means she’s already on board.  
“Yeah, I told Finnick we aren’t working tomorrow,” Nick explains, finally managing to flag down the server.  
“And he accepted that?”  
Nick grins, “he knows who’s boss.”  
She laughs, “tell me you didn’t say that to him”  
Nick chuckles, “Are you kidding me? I’m daring, but I’m not suicidal.” He turns to the server as she nears, “we’ll need two coffees and the bill please.” The otter nods and ambles off.  
Judy waits to have Nick’s full attention again, “what happened to working everyday?”  
“You are ruining me, obviously,” Nick pronounces carelessly, eyeing the desert case. No, cake would only make him lethargic.  
“So you just spent all day wanting to hang out eh?” Judy smirks in a way that should be irritating, but instead makes him feel unaccountably smug.  
“Says the mammal who followed me across town today.”  
“I was bored, and I’m not the one who finds sharing a meal insufficient time spent together.”  
Nick scoffs, “Isn’t it possible my partner’s been pretty irritable today, and I’m in need of the soothing relaxation only movies can provide, rather than, as you clearly imagine, that I’m just so desperate to spend time with you.”  
“It could easily be both.”  
“So does that mean we are on?” Nick isn’t completely positive his method of persuasion - pretending getting his way is a foregone conclusion - is working. _Could she really be that tired?_  
“Oh, you mean I do have a say in this?” Judy asks sarcastically, reaching for another fry, her food long gone.  
Nick nods, “just on the off chance you have a hot date. Did you meet someone since we last spoke?”  
Judy chuckles, “unfortunately I did not. I spent the day tailing a hustler. That left me with little time for meeting potential dates.”  
“Poor time management, I say. So, come on, are you in or not?” Nick leans forward, giving her his most endearing smile.  
Judy laughs, “where’d all that confidence go?” She shrugs, “sure, why not? At least if I pass out during the movie, I’m already at home.”  
“That’s the spirit. Now drink up,” Nick instructs, nodding at her steaming coffee mug. “I’ll need some time to arrange things,” he explains as he sips his mug, “but I’ll meet you back at your place in an hour.”  
“Is the host supposed to provide snacks no matter what, or are the rules different when you’ve been voluntold?” Judy asks, blowing on her coffee to cool it down.  
“I mean, I’m providing everything else. It’s the least you could do.”

When he arrives at her apartment, lugging a TV with a built in player, a bag of movies over his shoulder, it’s clear she’d spent the hour cleaning. Her place looks spotless, and there is an array of snacks waiting for them on her desk. There’s even an energy drink, likely for her.  
“Let’s put it here,” she suggests, gesturing at her desk and moving the snacks aside to make room.  
Nick obliges, happy to finally set the weight down. He’d had to carry it four whole blocks.  
He shrugs the bag off his shoulder and lets it slide down to the ground, where Judy eagerly retrieves it.  
“What do we have here?” she asks, dumping the contents onto her bed.  
“Whoa, slow down Carrots,” Nick exclaims, bending to locate an outlet on the wall, “I could have fragile stuff in there.”  
“Looks like just movies to me.” Judy is quickly shuffling through the pile.  
“Well, in this case, that is all it is,” Nick agrees, straightening out and walking over to join her.  
“Are these all yours?”  
“No, I borrowed them.”  
“So what’re we starting with?” She holds up several movies, “and why do so many of them have the same hat and coat?”  
“It’s a nice looking coat,” Nick muses, taking one of the films from her, “I always thought I’d look cool in one of these.”  
“Well they all manage to,” Judy replies, bending to shuffle through more titles. “Hey, it’s that same guy,” she says, handing Nick two movies.  
“You mean Baaagart? Yeah, he was in a few. This one,” he holds up one of the films, and Judy reads the title, “is about-”  
“-a bird?” Judy ventures, smirking.  
Nick rolls his eyes, “no actually. It’s not unlike The Big Sleep. It’s a good pick.”  
“What about the other one?” Judy asks, reaching for it.  
“That one’s sad.”  
Judy reads the title, “yeah, it sounds sad. But aren’t they all sad?”  
Nick shrugs, “No, they are all dark, that’s the genre, but they aren’t all sad.”  
“Well, I don’t want to be sad, so let’s watch the one about the bird.”

They make it through two movies, sitting side by side on Judy’s bed, leaning against the brick wall, before Judy falls asleep not long into The Third Mammal. Nick is unable to pinpoint when exactly the rabbit looses consciousness, in small part because his attention is divided between his companion and the film, but mostly because Judy continues to respond to his periodic comments as though awake. In fact he only becomes aware of her condition when their conversation takes a turn for the bizarre.  
“I was in a play once,” Judy offers dreamily, seemingly in reaction to the current scene.  
Nick reaches for the chips to his left, eyes fixed on the screen. “Really?”  
“Oh yeah, in school.”  
“We talking the kind of play everyone is forced to be in, class plays, or like extra curricular, in highschool?” Nick has trouble imagining Judy as a theatre nerd. He sees her more in student government, or maybe as a hall monitor. He’d never had time for traditional extracurriculars, but he’d been on good terms with all the various clubs. Knowing everyone had always been profitable.  
On screen, Holly abandons his theatre seat.  
“I was a bunny cop,” Judy answers.  
Nick laughs, “that is amazing.”  
He resists the urge to look at Judy and instead watches Holly watch Anna, and says, “I played the villain in like four different class plays by the time I was twelve.” He chuckles, “and I honestly don’t remember if I was cast that way, or volunteered.”  
Holly introduces himself as a friend of Harry Lime on screen, and Nick reaches for the bowl of jelly beans sitting between them.  
“I mean, depending on the role, the villain is better, if you think about it. They are often clever, they have a plan, they have the upperhand, at least at first,” Nick muses, falling silent when the conversation on screen picks up. He doesn’t want Judy to miss important details.  
“Yeah, but we have to hurry up,” Judy says after a few moments.  
Nick frowns, struggling to understand her remark in the context of the film, and watches as Anna removes her wig, “Hmm?”  
“Well at this rate we’ll miss our flight.” Judy announces casually.  
“What?” Nick finally turns to look at the mammal beside him, and finds her slumped down, eyes shut, breathing slowly. He watches her in disbelief.  
“My god Carrots, are you asleep?”  
“No,” she replies, shifting slightly, but not opening her eyes.  
“Right.” Nick is skeptical. Watching her in the flickering light of the screen, it’s obvious she’s asleep. _But she’s talking?_ “Okay, but you are asleep,” Nick posits uncertainly.  
“Nuh-uh,” Judy mumbles this time, barely moving.  
Nick is at a loss. Arguing with someone about whether they are awake or not should be pointless. Their very participation in the argument should guarantee them the win. Nick thinks a moment and then asks, “then where are we, and what is happening?”  
Judy shifts again, disgruntled, and replies, “you’re Nick.”  
Nick rolls his eyes, “that wasn’t my question.”  
“Shhhh now,”  
“Okay, so yeah, you definitely talk in your sleep,” Nick mutters to himself, watching his friend grimace, obviously uncomfortable.  
He stands up, gathering the snacks. Arranging them on her table, he pauses the movie. Judy doesn’t react at all. _Definitely asleep._  
Glancing around her tiny apartment, Nick wonders if he should just take off. Is he supposed to leave a note, or just leave her to figure out the obvious? Or should he wake her up, tell her he’s taking off? Would she mind if he didn’t say goodbye? He thinks of the other times he’s left after someone fell asleep, but none of that seems applicable.  
Walking back towards the bed, Nick decides he at least needs to adjust Judy’s position. She’s going to wake up with a sore neck, lying slumped down against the wall. He takes hold of her legs and swings them up onto the bed, rotating her to be parallel with the wall. This causes her head and shoulders to flop lifeless onto the bed.  
Nick shakes his head ruefully, “yeah, you are so awake.”  
He grabs her pillow and shoves it under her head, amused by how she immediately curls her arms around it. He goes to step away, but she seems to have gotten hold of his arm in the process. He tries to pry himself from her grip, sitting down on the bed’s edge.  
“Don’t go,” Judy whispers, voice thick with sleep, “more movies.”  
Nick smiles at her fondly, “Judy, you are asleep, and I’m not sharing a bed with you.”  
“But I’m little,” she argues, her eyes still closed.  
“Yeah, and so is your bed.” Not to mention the idea of having to share such a small space with any mammal makes him feel claustrophobic and a little nauseous.  
Judy hums for a minute then let’s him go. “Okay, but just wait a bit.”  
“Wait for what?”  
Judy shrugs and curls her legs up under her chin.  
Nick sighs and stands, grabbing the chair from her desk. He places it beside the bed, facing away from the window, and sits down, folding his arms.  
He surveys her room again, and then leans over to grab a bag of chips. He isn’t done snacking.  
He munches, watching Judy sleep peacefully. _Boring! Oddly comforting, but still, deeply boring._  
He pulls out his phone and starts to play candy crush one pawed, still eating. After a few minutes he tips the chair back, and it clatters softly as the back connects with the window sill. He props his feet up on the bed beside her; there’s room enough for that at least.  
He becomes engrossed in candy crush for a good twenty minutes before he run out of turns. He wonders if he’s waited long enough. How long is a bit?  
And more importantly, what was he waiting for? _Nothing, she was talking nonsense. She’s asleep, just leave._  
But instead Nick leans forward to unpause the movie. He’d been into it, even if he’d seen it before. He might as well finish it. The sun may have set but the night is still young. He has time to head elsewhere afterwards.

Nick wakes with a start to the terrifying sensation of falling, the chair crashing forward with a loud crack. He’s disoriented for a moment, in the fading light of dusk. _No, not dusk, dawn._  
He’s still at Judy’s.  
“Shit!” he exclaims, standing quickly, and then swaying. He sits down again, dizzy. There’s a bag of chips scattered on the floor at his feet. He must have fallen asleep eating them, while watching the movie. He looks to the clock on the window sill behind him. It’s 5:25.  
“Shit!” He says again, louder, bringing his paws up to hold his head. His neck is aching, and so is his lower back.  
He can’t believe he fell asleep there. There’s a panicked feeling in his chest he’s having trouble getting a hold of. “Shit shit shit!”  
“No,” Judy answers, rolling away from the wall to face him, eyes closed. And despite his anxiety it makes Nick chuckle, wondering if she’s scolding him for swearing, or just is generally contrary while asleep. _2 + 2 is 4. No!_  
Watching her breathe, he calms himself down. There is nowhere he was supposed to be. Nothing has been ruined, he hasn’t missed anything, or misplaced anything. Nothing is actually wrong, other than the hideous kink he’s put in his neck.  
“WHAT IS GOING ON OVER THERE?!”  
And the horrible yelling coming from next door. Judy’s eyes fly open and she bolts up in bed. She looks startled when her eyes settle on him, but then she’s smiling brightly.  
“WHAT IS ALL THAT RACKET OVER THERE?” Nick thinks it’s interesting that as much noise as he had made, only her neighbours yelling had actually woken Judy up.  
“WHAT? IS THE WORLD ENDING? WHAT’S WHY?” If Nick isn’t mistaken, he thinks that is a different voice.  
Judy rolls onto her back, laughing, and speaks at the wall loudly, “Sorry guys, go back to sleep. It was nothing.”  
“WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON? PRONKS, YOU NEED TO STOP WAKING ME UP LIKE THIS!”  
“ME? I’M NOT THE ONE CURSING AT 5 IN THE MORNING. I’M NOT THE ONE WITH LOUD GUESTS.”  
“WAIT GUESTS, JUDY HAS GUESTS?”  
“YES, THERE’S SOME MALE OVER THERE, SHE CLEARLY HAD AN OVERNIGHT GUEST.”  
“YOU LIAR! SHE DID NOT. JUDY IS SO NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL.”  
“NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL? DID I JUST HEAR YOU RIGHT? I CAN’T EVEN BELIEVE YOU WOULD TRY TO SLUT SHAME OUR NEIGHBOUR. IT’S NONE OF OUR BUSINESS HOW MANY GUYS JUDY BRINGS HOME, YOU CLOSE MINDED HICK!”  
Nick isn’t sure if this is funny or horrifying, but then he notices Judy’s smile transforming into a look of abject mortification, and decides this is hilarious.  
“OH DON’T EVEN GO THERE, YOU KNOW THAT ISN’T WHAT I MEANT. I MEAN SHE’S SHY. GOD I HATE HOW SANCTIMONIOUS YOU GET. YOU AREN’T EVEN NICE TO HER! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO TRIES TO SHAME HER, NOT ME. YOU’RE SUCH A SHAMER!”  
“I HAVE NEVER TRIED TO SHAME ANYONE IN MY LIFE!”  
“YOU HAVE TOO! LAST NIGHT YOU TOLD LINDA SHE NEEDED TO LOSE WEIGHT.”  
“WELL SHE DOES!”  
“SHE’S A HIPPO!”  
Nick flexes his neck and yells out, “HI GUYS, MY NAME IS NICK. SORRY ‘BOUT THAT, I FELL.”  
“OMG YOU ARE RIGHT, THERE TOTALLY IS A GUY OVER THERE!”  
“I TOLD YOU, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DOUBT ME! YOU NEVER GIVE ME THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT.”  
“OH I DO TOO YOU DRAMA QUEEN!”  
Judy narrows her eyes at Nick, “You don’t need to encourage them. They have boundary issues.”  
“Obviously.”  
“WE CAN HEAR YOU!”  
“HOW RUDE!”  
“Yeah, don’t be a shamer Carrots.” Nick winces when she punches him in the shoulder. Hard.  
“Guys come on, please.” Judy almost sounds pained. That seems to get their attention. Her tone shifts, “we talked about this. Let’s just breathe in, and breathe out, and just try to focus on the silence.” Judy is speaking calmly and authoritatively at the wall, and surprisingly it seems to be working. She hums softly, a steady tone, and the sound is echoed from next door. Judy grins at Nick, wiggling her brows. He rolls his eyes, she is too proud and his arm hurts.  
The hum slowly fades out, and Judy holds a digit to her mouth, signalling for Nick to be quiet. He nods. He starts to relax back in his chair, rubbing at his eyes and breathing out slowly. Second day in a row to wake up with a headache. At least this time he wasn’t dehydrated.  
-AIIIGHT AIIIGHT AIIIGHT-  
The blaring noise is intolerable and it’s coming from behind Nick. He scrambles off his chair in a panic, and stumbles sideways into the desk before collapsing to the floor in an undignified heap beside the bed. Judy slaps at her alarm clock desperately, and it abruptly stops.  
“Fiddlesticks! I forgot about my alarm,” she whispers regretfully, hanging her head.  
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”  
“ARE YOU SERIOUS JUDY, WHAT THE HELL? I THOUGHT YOU WANTED QUIET.”  
Judy starts laughing hopelessly then, looking exhausted and half crazed. She beckons him forwards, and Nick leans towards her above him, so she can cup her paws around his right ear.  
“They aren’t going to stop now. Let’s get out of here. I want breakfast.” She pulls back to look into his face eagerly, and Nick nods quickly. Judy stands, stretching her arms above her head, and then reaches a paw towards him. He waves her off, and she shrugs and leaps onto the bed and then off the end to get around him. She heads for the door, grabbing keys and phone and shoving them into a small bag. Nick gets to his feet more carefully this time, leaning on the bed, and once he’s sure he’s steady, he follows her. Out in the hall she tells him, “We’ll use the washrooms at the dinner, we just need to get out of here.”  
They’re in the stairwell before they stop being able to hear the thunder twins.  
“You need to move.”He tells her out on the street, and bit more harshly than he intends.  
She shrugs, “it’s not always that bad.”  
“That was the worst wake up of my life.” He grabs her shoulders in his paws and stares into her eyes, “of my entire life Carrots.”  
Judy gives him an appraising look, “and how much of that was them, and how much was sleeping in a chair and waking up in a panic?”  
Nick scrunches his snout in displeasure, “well the yelling didn’t help.”  
Judy nods sympathetically, “I’m sorry. I know it sucks.” She points down the street. They begin walking.  
“How do you handle that every morning?”  
“Well, I normally sleep with earplugs.”  
“Right.”  
“And I normally wake up at this time anyway.”  
“Right, the alarm.”  
“Yup, and so they almost never wake me up. I’m always awake first, and then the yelling starts. Way less jarring,” she pauses and looks down at her clothes, the ones she fell asleep in the night before, “I can tell you though, that was the fastest I’ve ever gotten out of there in the morning. It was nice.” She looks at Nick, “getting dressed always sucks, it’s hard to focus.”  
“I guess the answer is get dressed the night before.”  
“Could be.” They walk in silence for a moment.  
“I fell.” He doesn’t know why there’s shame in his voice.  
Judy looks up at him puzzled.  
“I mean, I fell asleep in the chair, tilted back, and I woke up because it fell forward. I woke up falling.”  
“Ugh, that sounds unpleasant.”  
“Yeah,” Nick swallows, and then hangs his head, “I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. I don’t like waking up where I didn’t intend to sleep.”  
“Yeah, I’m surprised you slept over. I would have gotten you an air mattress or something. I didn’t think you’d go for that.”  
“I wouldn’t. And where in that hole would you expect to put an air mattress? There’s no room.”  
Judy shrugs, and crosses the street. He follows.  
“I didn’t mean to sleep over. I fell asleep finishing the movie I guess.”  
“I’d assumed you’d just take off once I dozed off,” Judy says airly, opening the door to a dinner he hadn’t noticed before. She waves him in.  
Nick glares at her as he walks past her, “you told me not to.” He scopes out the space, it’s almost entirely empty. _Of course, it’s crazy o’clock in the morning._  
Judy looks puzzled, “when did I tell you not to leave?”  
Nick smiles sheepishly as they head towards the booth nearest the door, “while you were asleep.”  
“Oh.” Judy nods, clearly unsurprised she’d given instructions in her sleep. They sit down, and she flags the server.  
“Get me coffee,” Nick instructs, before heading towards the bathroom.  
When he gets back, Judy is perusing the menu, two full mugs sitting on the table.  
They sit in silence for a moment, selecting their meals. When he’s put down the menu, Judy’s eager to talk.  
“You know, you don’t have to listen to me when I’m asleep,” Judy explains in a tone he finds a bit patronizing.  
“You know, I don’t have to listen to you ever, actually,” he points out irritably.  
Judy looks sheepish, “okay, good point, I know that. I didn’t mean it like that, like, you don’t have to obey me when I’m asleep. I meant, just, well, feel free to ignore me when I talk in my sleep. Not just free in the typical sense of free, which you always have, but as in, feel free to not even worry about it hurting my feelings, because I literally won’t remember.”  
Nick nods, understanding her point. He shifts in his seat. “Noted.”  
The server finally returns to take their orders. Judy heads for the washroom as soon as she’s done.  
Nick ponders her sleep talking while she’s away. He has questions.  
When she sits down again, he smiles at her. The coffee is helping his headache.  
Nick clears his throat, “actually, you talked a lot in your sleep. I didn’t even know you were asleep till you started talking about missing our flight.”  
“What flight?”  
“How should I know? You were talking about some flight, and that’s when I realized you were asleep.”  
“Oh, right, I was dreaming.”  
“About what?” Nick is suddenly curious what was happening in her dream that she imagined the two of them were going on a plane. And were going to be late.  
“Oh, I don’t know,” Judy shrugs carelessly, “I don’t remember. I’m just saying, yeah, if I was talking about stuff that wasn’t happening, then I was dreaming.”  
“Oh, okay. So how much of the movie were you awake for?” Nick asks, wondering how far in they’ll be able to start next time.  
“I remember a guy was there to meet his friend, and he finds out he was killed by a car, so he goes to the funeral, and the music was pretty cheerful.”  
“And then?”  
“And then I don’t remember anything past him arriving at the funeral.”  
Nick blinks at her, stunned, “you didn’t even make it 5 minutes in.”  
“I guess not. I told you I was tired,” Judy reminds him defensively.  
Nick nods, “You did. I just can’t believe we chatted for another twenty minutes before you drifted off enough to become incoherent.”  
Judy laughs, “yeah, that is a thing about me that sucks, I’m still a great conversationalist, even when asleep.”  
“I wouldn’t say great. Maybe passable.”  
“Oh yeah?”  
“Yeah, you weren’t at all witty.”  
“And you still didn’t realize something was off?”  
“Well I was watching a movie. I though you were too engaged to be properly chatty. You didn’t talk much during the others.”  
“That’s true,” Judy smiles, “I liked them.”  
“I’m glad. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”  
“Yeah,” Judy enthuses, “and I’m sorry our first sleepover didn’t go well for you.”  
Nick bristles, “I don’t like the way you say first.”  
“But you’re okay with the term sleepover?”  
“Not at all.”  
“So I should say slumber party instead.”  
Nick gags, “You’re lucky the food hasn’t arrived yet.”  
Judy cackles evilly, “you’ve discovered my plan to trick you into sleepovers. Soon we’ll be eating buckets of ice cream, talking about boys and having, pillow fights?” Judy trails off uncertainly. “I never had any sleepovers when I was a kit, so I don’t actually know what happens at them,” she explains.  
“Never? Huh. Well Eli and I used to tell ghost stories and build forts.”  
“Ooo, I loved building forts. Who’s Eli?”  
“Some dope I knew in school,” Nick answers vaguely, wishing he hadn’t mentioned his name, “anyway, whenever we had a sleepover, always at his place, his parents had better junk food, we stayed up all night watching movies, eating crap, building absurd forts out of blankets and furniture, telling ghost stories, pulling rather lame phone pranks, and talking about girls. There were no pillow fights, they’re valuable building material.”  
“That sounds nice.”  
“I guess so. We outgrew it by the time we were thirteen. I mean, we still crashed at each other's places, but that was incidental to some other event, it wasn’t about the sleeping over.”  
“No more forts?”  
“No more forts.”  
Their food arrives then, and Nick realizes he has been starving. Judy slides a pill across the table to him, and he picks it up, frowning.  
“What’s this?”  
“Painkiller, you have a headache.”  
Nick blinks, surprised, “Oh. Thanks.”  
“Of course,” Judy replies, digging into her food.  
They mostly eat in silence, Nick too tired and hungry to carry on much of a conversation. He knows he’s irritable, and is trying to mitigate that by focusing on his food.  
The silence is comfortable, friendly, with them taking things off each others plates without complaint until Nick reaches for Judy’s mug. She blocks him, and Nick glares at her.  
Judy laughs, “I promise, I’m not being greedy. I’d happily give you it, but, I have a better idea.”  
“Better than coffee.” Nick is dubious to say the least.  
“I think you should go back to sleep.” Judy looks at him significantly, like she’s said something brilliant.  
“Yeah obviously, but I need coffee until I can get to a bed.”  
“No see, we are right near a bed,” Judy is too peppy for how early it is.  
Nick frowns, “What’re you talking about?”  
“My bed.”  
Nick rolls his eyes in irritation, “Carrots, your sleepover tragedy not withstanding, we can’t fit in your bed.”  
Judy rolls her eyes back, “well obviously not, but I was thinking I wouldn’t be there. This is when I normally get up, and I have errands to run. But you don’t need to get up for several more hours, and what’re you going to do, go back to Finnick’s to nap, after you told him you weren’t working today?” Judy is far too pleased with herself. He wants to tell her to stop smiling. He could tell her he isn’t really living with Finnick. _That is not an option._  
“Where do the thunder twins factor into this plan?”  
Judy looks sheepish, “well Pronks does go to work in a little while, and things should be quiet after that. I could lend you some earplugs.” _Sounds hygienic._  
“Or I could just go sleep elsewhere, and have peace,” Nick counters, reaching again for her coffee mug. She doesn’t let go.  
“Yeah, but then you won’t be here when I get back with ice cream.”  
Nick leans back in his seat, “I’m listening.”  
Judy grins. “See, if you just get a few more hours sleep, you’ll stop feeling terrible, and then we can get back to the movie marathon, and eating junk food.”  
“I’m still listening.” Nick prompts, more to be funny than anything else.  
“And, I guess,” Judy pauses, probably trying to think of something else to entice him, “on my way home I could even get us lunch, like maybe some dumplings, or I don’t know-”  
“-mini donuts?” it’s out of Nick’s mouth before he’s aware of the thought. He thinks about telling her it was a joke.  
“Where do you get mini donuts?”  
There’s no harm in informing her. “There’s a stand that makes them fresh near Savanna Central.”  
“You want me to go to Savanna Central to get you fresh mini donuts?” Judy is laughing, which he takes as a good sign.  
“Maybe.” He’d guess her errands will take her there anyway.  
“Do I seriously have to bribe you to get you to take a nap in my bed, so you can feel better, and we can continue the movie marathon you insisted on?”  
“Yes.”  
Judy sighs loudly, “alright, mini donuts it is.”  
Nick waves his paws above the table, “then I rescind my claim on your coffee.”  
“Done deal.”

Being alone in Judy’s apartment is bizarre to say the least. It smells familiar and safe, but he can’t escape the feeling he’s somewhere he doesn’t belong. And her bed is too small.  
They had snuck back in silently after breakfast, careful not to alert her neighbours there were two of them. Judy hadn’t bothered changing, only grabbing a shopping bag and an umbrella. He’d sat awkwardly on her bed, waiting for her to leave.  
She’d made a show of leaving a glass of water and her earplugs by the bedside, in case he needed them. Then she was waving, and out the door.  
He lays in her bed, eyes open, and wonders idly what she’s doing. He’d be tempted to look through her things, but everything she owns is already out in the open. He’s too tired to be nosy anyway, his headache mostly gone now, thanks to the painkillers. He’s sure he won’t be able to fall asleep, which must be when he does.

“Taaaaadaaa!!”  
It isn’t an amazing way to wake up, but the loud and joyful exclamation is certainly better than his first wake up of the day. Fear doesn’t play a part.  
He groans and rolls over towards the wall, trying to duck the noises Judy is making.  
“I have donuts,” she’s singing, “I have ice cream! I have a signed letter from a psychiatrist saying that I am fit for duty!”  
There’s a weight on the bed beside him, someone jumping, and he wonders if it would be wrong to shove her off. _Probably. It is her bed._  
Nick rolls onto his back and opens his eyes. Judy grins down at him.  
“Good afternoon Nick!”  
“You are too happy in the morning. It’s your greatest flaw.”  
Judy laughs and sits down beside him. She shoves a brown paper bag at him, still a bit warm. Nick sits bolt upright, “mini donuts?”  
“The miniest!” she points to a bag sitting on the desk, beside the TV, “and ice cream too!”  
Nick is already shoveling donuts into his face. “Mm, cinnamon sugar.”  
“I also got a dozen with the icing sugar, since I didn’t know which was best, and you weren’t answering my texts.”  
Judy points out a second paper bag on the desk.  
“You are the greatest Carrots.”  
“So I have been told. I take it you slept well.”  
“As well as anyone can in a crib.”  
“Hah. So are you ready for movies?”  
“I am.” Nick shifts to make room for her on the bed, leaning his back against the wall. Judy sorts through some of the available movies. “Hey, did you say you had a letter from a psychiatrist?” Nick asks after a minute.  
“I did.”  
“How’d you manage that?”  
She grins at him, “I can’t reveal my trade secrets.”  
“Did you just show up and harass whoever schedules appointments until they gave you one today?”  
“Nope.”  
Nick thinks a moment, “Did you sit and wait in the hopes that someone wouldn’t show up to their appointment?”  
Judy turns to him, holding up two cases, “Yup. Only took an hour. Cops are bad at making their appointments.”  
Nick points at the one in her left paw, “That one. That’s great Carrots! What does that mean for getting back to work?”  
“It means I’m back tomorrow, and don’t have to wait until my afternoon appointment,” Judy explains, putting the movie on.  
“Good.” He knew it had been worrying her. Now she could relax, tomorrow she’d be back at work for sure.  
Judy comes to sit beside him, bringing the ice cream with her. “And it means you’ll have to find some way to pass your time without me.” Judy smirks at him.  
“Are you kidding me, I can’t wait for you to get back on the job. Then I’ll be free to get back to mine.”  
“Oh sure. So,” Judy shifts, leaning against him to get more comfortable, “what’s this one?”  
“It’s neo-noir, so later, and with colour. It’s also kind of a funny love story, which is what I’m in the mood for. You can’t eat donuts and be serious.”  
“Sounds good.”  
“But we do have to actually watch The Third Mammal at some point,” Nick points out.  
“We’ve got time.”  
“That we do.”

It’s absurd how quickly one can become accustomed to something. It induces an odd sort of withdrawal, to go from spending the day with Judy on Tuesday to suddenly finding she isn’t reachable even by text on Wednesday. It turns out Judy has a much stricter work ethic, and she doesn’t so much as touch her phone while on duty. Undue distraction she calls it. And while he understands her point, it puts him in the unpleasant position of having to spend the day all alone with his own thoughts, with only Finnick for company. Which has ostensibly been his position for years, but now seems thoroughly insufficient.  
He texts her as much on Thursday.  
[You’ve broken me. No longer can I tolerate the drudgery of spending everyday with Finnick. You may have ruined my life]  
She responds hours later, when her shift is over.  
[Or maybe you just need a new partner.]  
Nick stares at this text for a long time. It conjures memories of the press conference, and the application he’d so eagerly filled out. The memory still leaves him feeling embarrassed and foolish. He’s somewhat grateful Judy’s never brought it up again, even while knowing that is surely because she realized he’d make a terrible cop and a worse partner. Given her persistence in other areas of his life, he would know by now if Judy still thought he should be a cop. She didn’t.  
Which was all the better for him. It would have been exhausting to have to argue with her on that topic everyday, and not so easily solved with a lie.  
Still, the idea of spending all day with Judy rather than Finnick is appealing, and he wonders briefly if he could talk her into joining his trade. She’d be good at it. _But she’d never do it._  
Which means working with Judy just isn’t in the cards. He’s stuck with Finnick.  
A depressing thought, for so many reasons.  
Despite how dangerous the whole affair had been, and how much he hadn’t wanted to be part of it at first, Nick had genuinely enjoyed working the nighthowlers case with Judy. And he’d wanted to do it again. That’s why he’d thoughtlessly filled out that application at the press briefing, when it had so obviously been a bad idea. The need to recreate that feeling.  
And that isn’t going to happen.  
He is a pawpsicle hustler, and he always will be.  
That night he visits The Cocoon for the first time in months, to see the only other mammal who will grin with genuine enthusiasm when he walks in. He hates that he feels the need to seek that out now, but he can’t bring himself to resent Judy for it. He splits the difference by being mean to Eli, who accepts his spite without reproach, as usual. Nick goes home feeling guilty, but somehow more at ease with himself. 


	12. Judy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 15/12/2017: Small but plot relevant changes.

After two weeks back on the job, Judy feels right at home in the precinct. Nick was right: the other officers are more welcoming now. Perhaps they are impressed with her enough to forget she’s a bunny. Perhaps her minor celebrity matters more than her diminutive size. Or maybe they had never been terribly bothered about her species or stature, maybe she’d just made a bad first impression. Nick had mentioned once that her intense and earnest desire to be and do good could be annoying.  
Judy is sitting in the break room alone, only the tips of her ears apparent above the edge of the table. She eats her lunch mechanically, her mind on the phone sitting in her locker. She’d guess she has at least 5 texts waiting for her by this hour. They’d probably make good lunchtime reading.  
The door swings open and McHorn and Wolfard stride in, talking loudly. McHorn heads straight for the coffee pot, while Wolfard trails him.  
“I can’t believe you guys still haven’t caught anyone.” McHorn booms as he reaches into the cupboard above the sink, handing a medium sized mug down to the wolf behind him, before grabbing a larger one for himself.  
Wolfard fills his mug before handing the pot to the rhino. “It’s not like we aren’t trying.” He heads for the table Judy is sitting at, crashing into the seat beside her. After a second he leans sideways to get a look at her. He grins, his eyes full of laughter, and Judy smiles back tentatively. She has a clear view under the table of the rhino’s legs as he strolls over to join the wolf.  
“Well you can’t be trying that hard,” McHorn suggests, pulling out the chair across from Judy and taking a seat. “Honestly, isn’t that the sixth robbery this month?”  
Wolfard winces, “seventh actually.” He glances sideways at Judy, and she focuses on chewing her sandwich.  
McHorn laughs, “See, it’s crazy you haven’t found anything yet.”  
“Have you heard about this case?” Wolfard asks, eyes closed as he sips his coffee.  
“What? Why else are we-” McHorn’s incredulous tone makes it clear he thinks the question is directed at him, which is when Judy realizes it isn’t.  
“-I haven’t actually,” Judy answers, and is amused to hear a startled gasp from the large rhino. He leans across the table to peer down at her.  
“Hopps!” he exclaims, shocked. He glances at Wolfard, accusingly, “did you know she was in here?”  
Wolfard grins and takes another sip. Judy wonders how the rhino failed to notice her ears. She stands on her seat to get a better view of her two table companions.  
McHorn scowls and glares at Judy. “Goddamnit Hopps, make yourself known!”  
Wolfard chuckles, and McHorn snorts in irritation. “Whatever, at least I’d be able to solve your case.”  
“What case?” Judy asks, setting her sandwich aside.  
“This guy,” McHorn points at Wolfard across the table, “is working that string of robberies downtown.”  
Wolfard nods regretfully at Judy.  
“Right, I’d heard a few pharmacies were hit, all with the same MO,” Judy nods.  
“Exactly, and they still have no clue who it is.”  
Judy watches Wolfard drink his coffee. “Some cases are tough to crack,” she sympathizes.  
Wolfard leans back in his chair, carefree, “I wouldn’t exactly say we have no leads. We know what he looks like.”  
“You have photos?” Judy had heard the thief wore a mask every time.  
“Right,” McHorn dismisses, “I heard Tim found that.” Judy notices the wolf roll his eyes at that. The rhino doesn’t, “footage of the guy casing the place. You sure it’s him?”  
“Same guy at three of the sites, days before they were hit. Tim’s working on finding him at the others, but my gut says this is our guy.”  
“Yeah, and your gut has solved so many crimes.”  
Wolfard grins, “I don’t know, I think my solve rate speaks for itself.”  
“Don’t you mean Tim’s rate?” McHorn snarks.  
The timber wolf laughs, “same thing.”  
McHorn changes tactic, “Well if you have the photos, why haven’t you brought anyone in yet.”  
The timber wolf shrugs, “he isn’t a known player. Not in the database, and none of my CIs have ever heard of this guy. I’ve been showing his face all over town. We have no witnesses, no prints, and so far the only thing the places hit have in common is that they’re all pharmacies.”  
“You know Bogo will make you post that mug on TV if you take much longer.”  
Wolfard sighs, “Don’t remind me.”  
“It always brings the tinfoil gang out in droves. And we’ve never gotten anything useful out of it, to my mind,” McHorn gripes.  
“Isn’t the public an important resource?” Judy asks, frowning at McHorn.  
“Sure, and important source of bored busybodies and mammals with wild imaginations.”  
Wolfard waves a paw dismissively, “I’m sure we’ll crack it before it comes to that.”  
McHorn snorts, “sure, I mean, once he’s hit another ten or so places, you’ll probably spot a pattern.”  
“That’s the job.”  
“Is it? Watching you I’d say it’s napping at your desk and waiting for your partner to do actual police work.”  
Wolfard narrows his eyes at the large herbivore beside him, and Judy realizes he isn’t nearly as confident and carefree as he appears.  
“Maybe I can help?” she offers, to cut the sudden tension in the room.  
“Oh yeah supercop?” Wolfard considers her dubiously. Judy instantly regrets her words. Coming from a rookie like herself, an offer like that seems arrogant, even insulting.  
“With what, crawling into small spaces?” McHorn chortles to himself.  
“You want to help me?” Wolfard asks teasingly, and Judy is relieved he isn’t offended.  
McHorn laughs louder, “yeah, that’ll crack the case wide open.”  
Judy notices the way Wolfard’s mouth curves downward briefly at McHorn’s comment, before his expression becomes neutral again, relaxed. Wolfard finishes his coffee, and stands, heading towards the break room sink. McHorn continues to chuckle as he sips his remaining coffee. Judy watches as the timber wolf rinses out his mug, standing on his tiptoes to reach the tap. She wonders how she’ll manage when she needs the sink. Would it be rude to stand on the counter top?  
Wolfard turns back to face her, holding his dripping mug. “You know what Hopps, I’d love your help, if you don’t mind.”  
Judy scans his face carefully, the request seems genuine. “Uh, sure. I just have to finish my lunch,” Judy gestures feebly at her sandwich on the table.  
McHorn isn’t laughing anymore, instead he is watching Wolfard incredulously. “You can’t be that desper-”  
“-your CI on the missing mammals case was a fox right?” Wolfard asks her quietly, ignoring the rhino.  
Judy is taken aback. She hadn’t thought much about how other cops had interpreted Nick’s involvement in the case.  
“He wasn’t actually my CI, he was-”  
“-But he is a red fox right?”  
“Well, yeah,” Judy suddenly feels uneasy about where this is going.  
McHorn snorts across from her, “Really?”  
“Yeah,” Wolfard responds curtly. He turns to set his clean mug on the counter top. “Thanks for the coffee Steve, I’ll see you later,” he dismisses coldly over his shoulder, still facing away from McHorn and her.  
Judy watches the large rhino’s face fall, the giant looking genuinely hurt, before he notices her watching. Then he scowls and stands, sweeping out the break room quickly for such a large mammal.  
Wolfard turns back towards Judy and crinkles his eyes at her, “Sorry ‘bout him.”  
“That’s fine.” Judy replies, a little unsure of what the wolf thinks he is apologizing for. She gestures at her sandwich, and he nods.  
“Come see me at my desk when you’re done,” he tells her, pushing away from the counter. “If you want,” he adds with a shrug, heading towards the door, “doesn’t really matter.”  
Judy finishes her sandwich rapidly, excited despite herself to get a look at an interesting case.  
She leaves McHorn’s dirty mug sitting on the table where he left it. 

She finds Officer Wolfard at his desk, which appears to be buried under an avalanche of case files. He grins lazily at her and gestures for her to pull a chair up. She steals one from the desk behind his, which is so sparse she assumes it’s unoccupied. Wolfard seems to find her choice of seat amusing, from the way he’s smirking at her as she rolls the chair over.  
“What?”  
“Nothing, nothing, c’mere,” he reassures, handing her a case file once she’s set up.  
Judy flips it open, skimming the reports on the seven robberies. She’s flips through crime scene photos quickly, scanning for a photo of the suspect. She locates the first one, a traffic cam shot of the sidewalk across from the fourth pharmacy hit. McHorn and Wolfard’s comments in the break room make more sense in the context of the colourless security still. The suspect is a fox, a bit bulkier than Nick, but still unmistakably a red fox. Judy’s heart sinks a little, though she reminds herself it shouldn’t. Criminals come in all shapes and sizes, and she shouldn’t be rooting for them to be a given species or not.  
“It isn’t him right?” Wolfard asks, his tone casual, watching her face closely.  
“No, no of course not,” Judy replies, trying to keep the offence out of her voice. Wolfard doesn’t know Nick, he can’t know what a ridiculous question that is. She studies the face of the suspect closely. He looks young to her, though she isn’t confident she can asses fox ages. His face is wide and round, resembling Gideon’s more than Nick’s. He seems calm and focused, like he’s doing something routine, rather than illicit. She flips through the other stills, examining him at various angles, on different days. In one shot, clearly taken from a security camera inside a coffee shop, that is, according to the label, across from crime scene number 2, he’s wearing an over-sized sweatshirt and a baseball cap. She almost doesn’t spot him.  
“You’re sure?” Wolfard verifies.  
Judy looks up from the file with a frown, “yeah, I’m sure.”  
“Okay, you just seemed to be examining him closely,” Wolfard explains.  
“Well he’s the suspect. Isn’t that what we do, look for any distinguishing features?” Judy asks, puzzled by Wolfard’s explanation.  
“Yeah, that’s my job,” Wolfard replies, shrugging his shoulders, “oh well, it was a long shot. I mostly asked ‘cause Steve was pissing me off.” He holds his paw out, gesturing for her to hand the file back.  
Judy raises her brows at him, and he sighs, dropping his arm. “Don’t be like that. I don’t mean anything by it, I’ve just got a lot to do, and I don’t think you’ll really be able to contribute much to this case.” Wolfard squints an eye and examines her, “how many serial burglaries you worked?”  
He had a point. “None.”  
“Right, none, so what good are you to me? I mean, me and Tim have it covered, we can handle it.” Wolfard gestures at the open file before her impatiently, and Judy realizes he’s right. His tone still irks her.  
“Who took my chair?” an impatient voice behind Judy startles her, but she doesn’t show it. She watches a grin break across Wolfard’s face before she turns to look behind her.  
Another wolf, this one taller, with darker fur, is glaring at her. Officer Bers, she realizes, watching him deposit paperwork on the desk she’d presumed unoccupied. _I took his chair._  
“I’m sorry,” Judy yelps, jumping down from the seat, “I didn’t realize this was someone’s. Officer Wolfard was just showing me his case, and I grabbed a nearby seat.” Judy moves out of the way as Officer Bers grabs his chair and wheels it back behind his desk.  
He ignores her to address Wolfard, “why’re you showing our case to the newbie? Does McHorn not tease you enough already?”  
Wolfard laughs, and grins at Judy, “Officer Hopps, this is Officer Bers, he’s working the case with me.” He turns to scold his partner, “don’t be rude to the rookie, Tim.”  
Bers sighs and addresses Judy, affectless, “Hello, sorry I got mad you stole my chair.”  
“Don’t mind Bers, Hopps, he’s my cousin, and he’s always been a bit cold.”  
“You’re cousins?” Judy’s surprised question slips out before she can think better of it.  
“Obviously. Don’t you see the resemblance?” Wolfard grins and points between him and Bers.  
“Oh, sure,” Judy responds polite, not seeing it.  
“Stop telling everyone we’re cousins!” Bers exclaims, sitting down angrily at his desk.  
Wolfard laughs, “Okay, so I lied, we aren’t cousins.”  
“I hate it when you do that,” Bers complains, opening up the file he’d deposited on his desk. “I don’t know what point you think you are making.” He begins reading the file, apparently done with the present conversation.  
“He hates it because it’s a particularly sick joke, given our relationship,” Wolfard explains in a low tone, winking conspiratorially at Judy. “We’re actually lovers,” he whispers.  
“No you’re not,” Judy responds, glancing down at the file open in front of her. Maybe the chance to do something interesting wasn’t worth tolerating Officer Wolfard’s odd form of hazing.  
Wolfard looks offended, “yes, we are.”  
“Mammals in romantic relationships aren’t allowed to work cases together, as per guideline 5.8.-”  
“-that’s why the brass don’t know.” Wolfard answers earnestly.  
Judy studies his face and decides there’s no point in arguing further, regardless of the truth. “Oh, I see. Then I’m sorry I doubted your-”  
“-What lies are you over there whispering to her?” Bers asks, looking up from his tidy paperwork.  
“Just that we’re lovers,” Wolfard announces loudly, and Bers groans. _I knew it._  
“Stop lying to the rookie, you complete tool! Now, did you get the report from the techs yet, about yesterday’s footage?”  
“Nope, I was having coffee with Steve. Also, I think it should be noted, she totally believed me.” Wolfard gives her a dubious look, “you honestly think you can be a cop, as gullible as you are? ‘Why did we find the murder weapon in your paws, and why’re you covered with the victims blood?’ ‘Oh, I was at home minding my own business when the victim ran in, killed themselves, got their blood everywhere, and then stuffed the weapon into my paws before dying, I swear officer.’ ‘Oh okay, you’re free to go.’”  
Judy huffs at his little play, but before she can respond Bers is giving orders.  
“I don’t care what she believes, I don’t care what you think you’re doing. Get her out of here, and go get the damn report.”  
Wolfard rolls his eyes, “You go get it, if you want it so bad. And collaboration on cases is encouraged Tim, even with gullible rookies.”  
Judy examines the still in front of her, wishing she had her phone on her. She’d like a picture of the suspect. She wonders if Nick knows him. Nick knows everyone.  
“Besides,” Wolfard goes on, almost as though Judy isn’t still there, “aren’t you glad to finally have a cop smaller than us?”  
“I guess?” Bers doesn’t sound interested.  
Judy thinks Nick must be rubbing off on her, because she immediately wants to say, ‘he already had you’, but manages to restrain herself. Why rejoin the conversation if she doesn’t have to. She selects one of the video stills, where the suspect’s face is clear, and tucks it under her shirt. Neither wolf appears to notice.  
“I mean, if she sticks around this time,” Wolfard is explaining to Bers excitedly, “I bet they’ll have to build her a bunch of accommodation shit, you know. Union rules. She’s too small. I mean, our toilets are ridiculous. And she’s in a small enough class they can’t just tell her to adapt, so I bet we get all sorts of lowered things, in the bathroom for example. Think of it: lower urinals!”  
Bers raises an eyebrow and looks at Judy meaningfully.  
Wolfard winces, embarrassed, “okay, probably not that, but maybe they’ll put in a lower sink in the break room. I hate stretching for the tap.”  
Bers shrugs, and it’s clear he doesn’t have problems reaching the tap. He goes back to flipping through the papers on his desk. After a minute, he instructs patiently, “go get the report Erik, and stop waisting her time.”  
Wolfard glares at his partner, clearly formulating a comeback, before his shoulders slump and he sighs. “Whatever,” he mumbles under his breath, standing up. He snatches the file from where it’s spread in front of Judy, tossing it back onto the pile of his desk. “Get lost rookie,” he snarls as he shoves past her, heading for the staircase to the lab.  
Judy watches him leave, aware of Officer Bers nearby, still focused on his paperwork. She finds her way back to her desk, feeling a little disoriented by the whole experience. She only remembers the photo tucked in her shirt when she goes to sit down, and feels it flex against her movement. She stands back up and heads for the locker room, where her phone sits waiting. She smiles, she’ll get to read her texts early.

The second after she sends the text Judy begins to worry. She’s standing in the locker room, phone in paw, photo in the other. She’d taken a picture of the photo and texted it to Nick with the caption ‘Do you know who this is?’.  
Was it inappropriate to ask a friend for information? Would it compromise his ability to do his work? Would he resent her trading on their friendship for information? Was she even allowed to share evidence from an ongoing investigation with a member of the public? One known for dealings with the criminal element? Wolfard had asked her about the case, but only to make a point, and then he’d sent her away. Was that enough? _Probably not._  
Judy stuffs the photo back under her shirt and wonders how she’ll get it back in the case file. All photos are numbered, and Wolfard might not notice one missing, but Officer Bers seemed meticulous. He’d notice eventually. _Why did I do this?_  
Her phone buzzes a second later.  
[That depends on the charge]  
Despite her concerns she smiles. Nick does know everyone.  
[Want to meet for coffee to discuss it?]  
[Obviously I’d love a free coffee. When?]  
She wonders if it would look odd for her take a coffee break so soon after her lunch. Could she say she had to go meet someone about a case? But she isn’t officially working this one. She decides to wait until her next coffee break.  
[I have a coffee break in two hours.] Judy puts her phone back in her locker and tucks the photo back in her shirt, resolving to bring it with her. She’ll deal with it putting it back where it belongs later. For now, she has to focus on convincing Nick he should tell her what he knows.  
Before she can shut her locker her phone vibrates, buzzing loudly against the bottom of the metal unit.  
Judy picks it up.  
[I have conditions]  
Judy rolls her eyes. Leave it to Nick to try and negotiate after having agreed. [You already agreed!]  
[Well now I’ve thought of some conditions. Are you refusing to even hear them?]  
[I never said that.]  
[Good. First, I decide the cafe.]  
Judy shakes her head, bemused. That was hardly a demand that needed leverage. She’d assumed he would choose, if only because he normally did. She answers as much.  
[You were going to anyway. Is that all?]  
His reply is swift.  
[No, that is not all. Second, you will keep your phone on you until the end of the day]  
Judy frowns, and another text arrives from Nick before she can reply.  
[My research indicates this isn’t a department policy, but some self imposed rule of yours. So ignoring it won’t be a problem]  
Judy stares at her phone incredulously. He’d done research? _He misses me._ She smiles, and concedes.  
[Fine, but only because justice is at stake]  
She puts her phone on silent, slips it into her pants pocket, and slams her locker shut.  
Back at her desk she finds a folder to tuck the photo into, and tries to turn her attention back to her paperwork. But she struggles to focus, and makes it only ten minutes before she checks her phone.  
There are already 4 long texts waiting for her when she opens her messages, painting a picture of Finnick’s temper in a traffic jam. A fifth text arrives as she’s reading them, just an all caps quote that Finnick is presumably yelling at another motorist.  
Judy snorts out loud, and then looks around in alarm, to see if anyone witnessed her supreme lack of professionalism. This is why she couldn’t have her phone with her.  
She drops her phone into her desk drawer and resolves not to look at it again for at least ten minutes.  
She fails.


	13. Nick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i'm weak, and I can't not just post this, even though it's not done. I want to keep going, but I'm tired and hungry, so I shouldn't.  
> But I also can't not post anything, because I have poor impulse control?  
> So wtv, here is the beginning of 13, and I guess I have to accept I'm bad at waiting until I've finished a chapter. I'll try to get better.
> 
> May 9th, 2018:  
> So it's my birthday again, and I'm 32.  
> And I am saddened by the state of this story. I have been working on it I swear.
> 
> But many life changes have happened. And I have not even a chapter for you.   
> Sorry.   
> This year will be better.

They meet in a coffee shop not far from the precinct, and Judy doesn’t ask how he got away from Finnick. He doesn’t tell her he cut things off early when he realized she needed help with a case. Finnick hadn’t even protested.  
“Ah, Officer Hopps, long time no see,” Nick greets her in front of the cafe. He opens the door and waves her in.  
“Our last movie night was just three days ago Nick,” Judy reminds him, heading inside.  
“Four, actually, but that was Citizen Hopps, or Carrots, as she’s known to most-”  
“-just you actually-”  
“-whereas I haven’t seen Officer Hopps in quite some time.” Nick finishes, gesturing at her uniform.  
Judy raises a brow, “what, do you have a problem being seen with me like this?”  
“Not at all.” Nick dismisses, heading for the line. He’d made sure to chose a place where he wouldn’t run into anyone he knew.  
They both study the overhead chalk board in silence for a minute.  
“So, I need to make this joke, so let’s get it over with,” Nick says, as they stand in line, leaning towards her and unlocking his phone to reveal the picture she’d sent him. He points at it exaggeratedly, “do you think all foxes know each other Carrots?”  
Judy rolls her eyes, and moves forward with the line.  
“I mean, do you think I’ll know this guy just because we are both red foxes? Do you think we are all related? That seems pretty narrow minded of you.”  
Judy gives him a flat look, “you done?”  
Nick laughs, “you don’t want to address the way this looks?”  
“No. Maybe don’t go around bragging you know everyone.”  
“But it’s my only claim to fame,” Nick whines, as they reach the front of the line. “I’ll have a large caramel latte, extra caramel, her treat,” he tells the pig behind the counter, pointing at Judy.  
Judy sighs and orders, “I’ll have an extra small coffee, one milk, please.”  
She pays and they head to the end of the counter to wait for his drink.  
“So you wanted to know if I know the guy in the fuzzy photo?” He eyes the folder tucked under her arm. _Photos that aren’t fuzzy?_  
“No, I want to know who he is. I already know you know him. You said as much in text.”  
“Did I though?” Nick is pleased to see Judy startle at his words. She’s stopped with her coffee halfway to her mouth. He idly wonders how long he’ll toy with her.  
“Yes you did. You can’t, you can’t try and backtrack on that now. Like, you can’t try to start from further back once you’ve already started. You can’t bid lower than your first bid,” Judy sputters incredulously.  
“I think you’ll find I can,” Nick grins triumphantly at her. It is nice to be able to watch her frustrated expressions in person. It feels like it’s been more than four days.  
“No.” Judy says firmly, finally drinking from her cup.  
“No?” Nick questions, watching her narrow her eyes suspiciously.  
“You said-”  
“-I think you’ll find, counselor, if you review the transcript, that I never made any claims about knowing anyone.”  
“Nick, are you seriously telling me you don’t know the guy in the photo?”  
“Weeeell-”  
“-large caramel latte, extra caramel.”  
Nick grabs his drink and gestures towards one of the booths, “shall we?”  
“Nick.” Judy’s tone has a warning in it, and he has to fight against the chuckle it elicits.  
“Carrots,” he imitates.  
“Nick, if you-”  
“-oh, come on, let’s sit down Carrots. Don’t you want to show me what’s in your folder?” he points at it tucked under her left arm. “Don’t you want to try and convince me I need to help you track down the suspect and uphold the law? I bet you have a pitch. Don’t you want to give it to me?” Nick reaches out to steer Judy towards a booth, confident he’s mostly coming off as charming. She’s mostly amused by him at the moment, and that’s a fun space to occupy.  
Judy sighs, in that way that’s mostly for show, “yeah, I guess.”  
They sit in one of the booths near the back of the cafe, and Nick reaches for the folder.  
Judy doesn’t release it.  
“Nick, did you just want to hang out?”  
He almost wants to say yes, just to see how she’d react. He’s pretty sure she wouldn’t even be mad. He’s funny enough to get away with quite a lot today. But there’s no point in lying now.  
“Always, but no. I do actually know things.” He reassures her.  
“Things?” Judy scrunches her nose, confused.  
“Yeah, things.”  
“Like who this guy is?” Judy asks, tapping on the still closed folder.  
“Could very well be.”  
Judy narrows her eyes again, “do you know him or not?”  
“That’s hard to answer. I know things. And by the way, this conversation is about you convincing me I should help you, on the basis of the nature of the crime. Cause depending on the crime, I know nothing.”  
“Sure sure, but you do actually know who this guy is?”  
“I know things Carrots.” Nick leans back in the booth.  
“But do you know him?” Judy persists.  
“Yes and no.” Nick explains.  
“What does that mean? It’s a yes or no question. Not both.”  
“Okay then pedant, do you know that guy?” Nick asks, gesturing at the barista behind the counter.  
“What? No.”  
“No, you don’t know him. Right? You don’t know his name.”  
“Right.”  
“But, if tomorrow, I were to come to you, and say, ‘hey, remember that barista from yesterday, who served us, and then later I pointed at him, yeah, well he murdered Finnick.’ What would you do?”  
“If Finnick were dead?”  
“And you had to solve his murder.”  
“Well I’d want to establish a-”  
“-no skip that, there is only me as witness, and I am telling you, that dude we saw yesterday did it.”  
“Okay, well I’d start here, since it’s where he works. They likely know where he lives, or at least how to go about contacting him.”  
“Right, and if need be you might be able to stake out the place, wait for him to come in.”  
“Right.”  
“Right, so in an investigative sense, do you know him?”  
“I guess, yeah.”  
“Right. And me. I’ve been here before, and I know his name is Ralph.”  
“Ralph?” Judy frowns and glances back at the barista again, “he doesn’t look like a Ralph.”  
“And yet he is. Anyway, I know his name. So I know him. ‘Hey Slick, you know Ralph?’” Nick puts on a voice out of one of the noir movies they’ve been watching. Higher pitched and accented. A wise guy’s lackey, “‘You mean Ralph from the cafe?’ ‘The very same.’ ‘Suuure I know him.’”  
Judy is smiling, and Nick almost loses track of his point. This is fun.  
He drops the accents, “but, do I know him? We aren’t friends, and I don’t even know if we count as acquaintances, right? I know his name, but only because I overheard another staff member call him that. He doesn’t know mine. We’ve never introduced ourselves. We’ve had conversations, but they’ve only ever been service oriented. ‘I want caffeine.’ ‘I want money’” Nick leans forward in the booth, pointing at Judy, “So do I know him?”  
“Okay okay, point made, it isn’t a yes or no question.”  
“Thank you. For my trouble, I want a piece of that lemon loaf.” Nick declares imperiously. To his surprise, Judy nods and slides out of the booth without a word.  
Nick watches her get back in line, and regrets his sweet tooth briefly. He wonders if going to join her in line would seem pathetic. He drinks his latte instead, and observes as she carefully studies the barista. Twice she turns back towards him, nodding as though they are part of an important conspiracy.  
“Okay, so,” Judy begins, sliding in across from him with a plate in hand, “point of clarification.”  
“Yes?”  
“This guy isn’t a barista is he? In this cafe?” Judy asks, as she taps on the folder between them. She pitches her voice lower, whispering, “in disguise as that pig?”  
Nick laughs and pulls the cake towards himself, “no, but good theory, it was - hey, this is carrot cake!”  
Judy shrugs, “you send a rabbit to buy your cake, as the old saying goes.”  
Nick chuckles and reaches for a fork, “well then I get all the icing.”  
“Fair”  
They pick at it together in silence for a moment. Then Judy opens the folder and slides it over to him. It has just the one photo, but much better quality.  
He glances up at Judy, who is watching him. He wonders if he’s going to have to point out again who has to convince who.  
“So this guy has been linked now to four different robberies. The target is always well stocked pharmacies, after hours, when not a lot of cash is on site.  
Nick nods, “drugs.”  
“Exactly”  
“So you want me to help you track this guy down?”  
“No, I just want help identifying him,” Judy corrects, and Nick feels oddly disappointed.  
“Oh, you just want info,” Nick clarifies breezily, trying to sound casual.  
“That is all.”  
“And this was your pitch?” Nick asks in a disapproving tone.  
“What?”  
“I mean, that wasn’t very convincing. You want me to be a snitch, help you put a fellow fox in chains, and your pitch is, what, exactly?”  
“He steals drugs Nick.”  
“Yes, I followed that much.”  
“He’s breaking the law Nick!” Judy reminds him indignantly.  
“Right, and you seem to forget that doesn’t bother me the way it bothers you. I hang out with Finnick don’t I?”  
“Well he’s presumably selling these drugs to someone,” Judy tries.  
Nick considers that, “I mean, you’re closer with that, I suppose. Possible drug dealer,” he wonders aloud, trying to decide if that bothers him, morally. Judy’s eyes widen.  
“So you think it’s fine to rob pharmacies, and sell stolen drugs?” Judy asks incredulously.  
“No,” Nick answers emphatically, “I think it’s a dumb way to make money. I’m just saying, an appeal to the rule of law isn’t your best argument with me.”  
Judy frowns and sits back, “and what is my best argument?”  
Nick smiles, “I’m not supposed to help you convince me.”  
“You helped me with the nighthowlers case,” Judy muses aloud, watching him eat.  
“You coerced me,” Nick points out around a mouthful of icing.  
Judy slides the cake away from him with a grin. Nick rolls his eyes.  
“But,” Judy continues, “you didn’t need coercing when I got back into town.”  
“Well lives were in danger,” Nicks answers simply. _And you’re my friend._  
Judy nods absently, “right, obviously.” She looks back at the plate of cake. “People’s lives might be at risk now?”  
“You have no way of knowing that.”  
Judy frowns, “so I have to coerce you or prove imminent danger?”  
Nick rolls his eyes, “If I didn’t know you from the next cop, yeah. Obviously. But I do know you.”  
“What’re you saying?”  
“I’m saying, your pitch had none of the relevant information that would make me want to help you. Like why you want help, how you got this case, how it would benefit you to solve it, how stuck you are without me.” Nick watches Judy catch on.  
“No, I don’t want you to help me because I’m your friend.”  
Nick’s brow knits, “really? Because it’s kind of the only reason I would.”  
Judy blinks at that, then shakes her head, “I don’t want to exploit your friendship.”  
Nick snickers, “you’re cute.”  
Judy kicks him lightly under the table, and Nick winks back, “don’t worry Carrots, I don’t mind a bit of exploitation now and then.”  
“Fine,” Judy sighs, sliding the cake back towards him, “so this whole time you were just looking for what? A ‘please’?”  
Nick nods, “that and actual information about why you are trying to solve this case. Why does this matter? Why this case, and not another?”  
Judy shrugs, scooping up another forkful of cake, “it’s not even my case. I don’t really have cases.”  
That doesn’t surprise Nick, when he thinks about it. When she talks about work, she usually talks about patrol, or traffic stops.  
“Then why’re you looking into this one?”  
Judy grimaces, “I don’t know, it’s dumb.” She sighs and puts down her fork, “the detectives who have it clearly don’t want my help. It’s just when they mentioned that no one knows this guy, he’s not in the database, and none of the CIs have seen him before, I thought of you.” Judy shrugs helplessly.  
“So you wanted to see if maybe you could do what they couldn’t?”  
Judy’s frown deepens, “it sounds a pretty petty when you put it that way.”  
“I don’t think so.”  
Judy shakes her head, “I’m being overeager again. I should learn to do my time, put in the work. I’m not a detective yet, but I can still be a good cop. I should respect my fellow cops, let them do their work.”  
“Why would you respect them if they’re dumb enough to not want your help.”  
Judy rolls her eyes, “it’s not crazy that they weren’t eager for my help, I mean, I’m not a detective.”  
“You solved the crime of the century, uncovering a massive political conspiracy,” Nick points out, putting down his fork too. There is very little cake left.  
Judy smiles at that, “That was a fluke.”  
Nick baulks, “it was not!”  
“Okay, it wasn’t, but I didn’t solve it, we did.”  
“Then we can do it again.”  
Judy smiles, “for someone who claims to need convincing, you seem pretty eager to be involved.”  
Nick chuckles, “maybe I just want you to owe me a favour.”  
“Sure,” Judy doesn’t sound convinced.  
Nick clears his throat, “I just, I want to make sure you don’t waste this on a case that isn’t important. Because I’d rather only help out when I’m your only option.”  
“I get it.”  
“You only get so many, before I’ll actually start to feel exploited.”  
“Message received.” Judy nods.  
“But if this one really has the precinct stumped, well I’d be happy to save the day,” Nicks says, adding, “as long as you make sure to take all the credit.”  
“Deal.”  
“Okay, so,” Nick points at the photo on the table, “I’ve never met him, but I’ve seen this guy, at a bar in the Meadowlands.”  
“You sure it was this guy?”  
“Carrots, you don’t get a reputation for knowing everybody by being bad with faces.”  
“No you get it by claiming it about yourself,” Judy points out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oct 10th:  
> Just in case anyone is checking this.  
> So during the long weekend I wrote a bunch more for this chapter and the next before realizing a key plot point doesn't work. Basically, writing crime and detective shit is hard, and I don't know how to do it. So I had to scrap a whole bunch, or accept that my story would have large plot holes when it came to Judy getting Nick's help on this, or any other cases.  
> So I haven't forgotten, I'm just really struggling to keep the things I like about this chapter while plugging up the hole I'd written myself into.  
> Nov 5th:  
> I think I've figured it out!  
> I will have to change some of the details of the previous chapter, but I think I do know what to do next.  
> I start a new full time job tomorrow, but I actually think I'll have more time now, since I'll have a more regular and predictable schedule. I'm hoping to do Nanowrimo, obviously about this story, not an actual novel. So, yeah, I'll get to rewriting things tomorrow, but for now, I really do need to get to sleep.  
> I thought I'd update, just in case.


End file.
